ATHEX: NBG drops but index stays put

The National Bank of Greece dividend payment aside, stocks at Athinon Avenue secured gains to offset the decline of the lender on the bourse on Monday. The benchmark closed with minimal losses, while winners and losers ended up in a dead heat. The day's trading volume gave investors a taste of what's to come next month, with turnover slumping to its lowest level in over three weeks.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,468.01 points, shedding 0.08% from Friday's 1,469.82 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index expanded 0.01%, ending at 3,575.90 points, though mid-caps contracted 0.39%.

The banks index declined 1.10%, as National dropped 3.96% and Piraeus slipped 0.05%, but Eurobank collected 0.59% and Alpha earned 0.36%. Among the other blue chips, Titan Cement fetched 2.37%, whereas Ellaktor gave up 1.46%.

In total 48 stocks boasted gains, another...