With the price of oil hitting a four-year high and the US threatening Iran with a long-lasting blockade of its ports, investor concerns spread and stocks took some more losses on Thursday in Athens, ahead of the May Day long weekend. The session saw its closing auctions take the benchmark from marginally positive territory to the day’s lowest point, containing April’s gains to 5.99% for the Greek stock market.
The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 2,188.68 points, shedding 0.55% from Wednesday’s 2,200.69 points. On a weekly basis it declined 1.41%.
The large-cap FTSE-25 index contracted 0.66%, ending at 5,541.60 points, though mid-caps expanded 0.24%.
The banks index dropped for a fifth session in a row, by a considerable 2.49%, as Piraeus conceded 3.10%, Eurobank and National fell 3.03%, Optima gave up 2.21% and Alpha parted with 1.05%.
In total 51 stocks reported gains, 61 suffered losses and 10 remained unchanged.
Turnover amounted to €282.9 million, up from Wednesday’s €169.3 million.
In Nicosia, the general index of the Cyprus Stock Exchange decreased 0.28% to close at 283.53 points.