Bourse index climbs to new 13-year high

On Tuesday Greek stocks followed the trend set by fellow eurozone markets on Monday (given the long weekend domestically), sending the benchmark of the local bourse to highs unseen since April 2011. Led by bank stocks, the main index climbed above the 1,500-point level for only its second time in the last few months and continued climbing fed by the increased turnover that reflected market optimism for the new year.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,506.61 points, adding 1.33% to Friday's 1,486.83 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index expanded 1.62%, ending at 3,678.48 points.

The banks index outperformed, advancing 2.78%, as Piraeus earned 3.23%, Alpha grabbed 3.18%, National fetched 3.12% and Eurobank climbed 2.19%.

Jumbo collected 2.94% and Cenergy Holdings improved 2.93%, though Lamda Development parted with 1.21%.

In total 76...