ATHEX: Bank stocks lead bourse rise

The surprise sovereign rating upgrade by Moody's and signs of a recovery on Wall Street boosted activity on the Greek stock market on Thursday, with buyers regaining the upper hand and trading volume posting an improvement.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 845.34 points, adding 0.79 percent to Wednesday's 838.69 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index expanded 0.61 percent to 2,161.19 points.

The banks index outperformed with a jump of 2.76 percent, driven by National, which climbed 3.90 percent, and Eurobank, which saw a 3.69 percent increase. Alpha's stock returned to its last recapitalization price of 2 euros after adding 2.04 percent, and Piraeus augmented 1.41 percent.

In its fifth consecutive session of growth, Terna Energy advanced 2.44 percent and ADMIE Holdings ascended 1.87 percent, while Motor Oil gave up 2.26 percent and Coca-Cola HBC...