ATHEX: Bourse ends Q1 22 bln euros out of pocket

March, and with it the first quarter of the year, came to a close on Tuesday with a bourse session that saw all its mid-session gains vanishing by the closing bell and stocks split down the middle between gainers and losers.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 558.30 points, shedding just 0.07 percent from Monday's 558.70 points. March has ended with monthly losses of 22.5 percent, taking the decline of the benchmark since the start of the year to 39.09 percent, with the market's capitalization shrinking by over 22 billion euros.

The large-cap FTSE 25 index expanded 0.52 percent to 1,355.92 points, whereas the mid-cap index contracted 0.15 percent.

The banks index improved 1.65 percent, as Piraeus jumped 9.47 percent, National climbed 5 percent and Alpha grew 3.85 percent, while Eurobank declined 5.05 percent.

In total 52 stocks posted...