ATHEX: Stock drop contained in auctions

Greek stocks recovered from a steep decline during Wednesday's session to end up with minor losses in the closing auctions. Bank stock buyers returned to help the sector's index come back from mid-session lows as the PPC slump continued to affect the entire market.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 772.66 points, shedding 0.48 percent from Tuesday's 776.40 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index contracted 0.19 percent to 2,001.48 points and the mid-cap index lost 1.81 percent.

The banks index fell 0.45 percent, with Piraeus giving up 2.37 percent, Alpha conceding 0.69 percent and Eurobank slipping 0.34 percent, while National advanced 0.79 percent.

Public Power Corporation on Wednesday added losses of 17.93 percent to its 11.75 percent plunge the day before following the publication of its 2018 financial results late on Tuesday. Motor Oil (up 2.03...