ATHEX: Banks drag stocks index further down

Wednesday was another day of decline for the Greek bourse, led primarily by banks but spread across the board. However, a few blue chips bucked the trend and minimized the losses of the large-cap index. Liquidity in the market is clearly abundant, and turnover on the day topped 200 million euros, since traders felt they could ease off until bank stock prices return to lower levels.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,419.27 points, shedding 0.56% from Tuesday's 1,427.29 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index contracted 0.19%, ending at 3,441.35 points.

The banks index underperformed, losing 1.17%: National conceded 1.95%, Alpha gave up 1.23%, Eurobank dropped 0.81% and Piraeus parted with 0.59%.

Authoellas slumped 2.99% and Motor Oil sank 1.79%, but Jumbo grew 2.10%, Viohalco earned 1.80% and Coca-Cola HBC advanced 1.12%.

In total 38...