ΑΤΗΕΧ: Third day of index drop on bourse

The benchmark at Athinon Avenue declined on Thursday for a third session in a row, although it actually managed to contain its losses upon closing largely thanks to the robust showing by OTE. The day's drop was partly due to the dividend that Eurobank distributed and partly because of the continued pressure on US technology stocks that has had a global impact.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,463.82 points, shedding 0.20% from Wednesday's 1,466.73 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index contracted 0.38%, ending at 3,582.77 points.

The banks index underperformed, dropping 1.32%, as Eurobank gave up 5.53% and Piraeus and Alpha both parted with 0.24%, while National advanced 0.98%.

Among the other blue chips, OTE improved 3.44% and Viohalco augmented 0.85%, while Lamda Development fell 1.09% and Aegean Airlines 0.95%.

In total 36 stocks...