Bolstered mainly by the growth in the German stock market, Athinon Avenue enjoyed a session of strong gains on Wednesday that took its benchmark to a new 14-year high and its banks index to levels unseen since November 2015. The roller coaster of geopolitical developments and the global trade war is keeping investors on edge, with securities internationally turning particularly volatile since the start of this year, a factor that appears to have benefited the local bourse to date.
The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,630.35 points, adding 1.76% to Tuesday’s 1,602.15 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index expanded 2.12%, ending at 4,014.44 points.
The banks index soared 3.31%, as Eurobank jumped 4.49%, Piraeus grabbed 3.98%, National advanced 3.02%, Alpha fetched 1.77% and Optima climbed 1.41%. Cenergy rose 5.03% and Metlen earned 4.87%.
In total 81 stocks boasted gains, 31 posted losses and 14 remained unchanged.
Turnover amounted to 373.9 million euros, up from Tuesday’s €302.6 million.
In Nicosia, the general index of the Cyprus Stock Exchange increased 0.44% to 227.39 points.