ATHEX: Bourse benchmark gains over 10 pct in May

The notable growth recorded during Tuesday's trading session, which saw the benchmark climb above the 650-point mark for a few hours, was reversed by a late selling spree in banks, although the main index still ended the session with gains. Trading volume was particularly high, mainly thanks to the MSCI index rebalancing.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index registered monthly gains of 10.85 percent in May. It closed at 646.97 points on Tuesday, adding 0.93 percent to Monday's 641.04 points. During the day it had topped 656 points. The large-cap FTSE 25 index expanded 0.55 percent to end at 179.56 points.

The banks index declined 1.77 percent, led by Alpha, which slumped 3.94 percent, and National, which gave up 2.71 percent. EYDAP climbed 6.31 percent and GEK Terna grabbed 5.79 percent, but Terna Energy fell 1.38 percent.

OPAP advanced 4.25 percent on news...