ATHEX: Eighth day of growth out of nine

After a mixed session that saw construction firms and banks defy the trend which saw most stocks heading lower and closing with losses, the benchmark ended the day on Thursday with negligible gains that sufficed to record yet another 11-month high. This was the eighth session of gains out of the last nine for the main index at Athinon Avenue.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 964.26 points, adding 0.06% to Wednesday's 963.70 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index contracted 0.03% to end at 2,340.25 points, though mid-caps expanded 0.03%.

The banks index advanced 0.32%, as Piraeus augmented 0.86%, Eurobank grew 0.35%, Alpha climbed 0.18% and National earned 0.15%. Ellaktor soared 4.37%, GEK Terna jumped 4.18% and Jumbo improved 1.21%, just as Aegean Airlines declined 1.04% and Piraeus Port Aurthority parted with 0.99%.

In total 40 stocks secured...