ATHEX: Bourse posts weekly rise of 1.7 pct

Banks were the star stocks in Friday's bourse session at Athinon Avenue, taking the benchmark higher to add to its weekly gains, though the majority of stocks finished lower on the day. The market has perceived the third-quarter results of the main lenders in a positive light, while the government announcement about a bill planned to bolster the stock market could add to the market's momentum.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,413.13 points, adding 0.33% to Thursday's 1,408.50 points. On a weekly basis it advanced 1.69%.

The large-cap FTSE-25 index expanded 0.75%, ending at 3,436.43 points, and the banks index advanced 1.51%, as Alpha jumped 5.37%, Eurobank earned 2.87 and Piraeus grabbed 2.09%, while National gave up 1.49%. Ellaktor augmented 3.49%, Metlen fetched 1.50% and Lamda Development rose 1.26%, whereas OTE declined 1.32%.

In total...