ATHEX: Benchmark ends virtually unchanged

The rising sequence of five sessions came to an end for the benchmark of the Greek bourse on Thursday, though only by the smallest of margins. There were conflicting trends in the session, switching the course of the main index from positive to negative and back several times. This was reflected in the cherry-picking of investors among blue chips, that led to them cashing in some of their recent gains.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,408.50 points, shedding less than 0.01% from Wednesday's 1,408.57 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index contracted 0.11%, ending at 3,412.70 points.

The banks index expanded 0.08%, as National advanced 0.53% and Piraeus climbed 0.05%, while Alpha parted with 0.38% and Eurobank gave up 0.18%. Ellaktor lost 3.59%, Titan Cement dropped 2.65%, Cenergy Holdings declined 2.30%, Viohalco eased 2.08% and Lamda Development fell...