Mytilineos

Many traders have evidently left for their summer vacations, as turnover at the Greek bourse was particularly low on Friday, but those left behind at Athinon Avenue nudged the benchmark higher at the end of the week on a day of mild growth for most blue chips.

Four bidders are expected to show interest in Greece's tender to build a 1.45 billion euro ($1.72 billion) project to expand the Athens metro, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Greece's GEK Terna will bid as part of a joint venture with France's Vinci and Siemens, a spokesman for GEK Terna said.

Bank officials are reporting a stabilization and small improvement on the deposits front in May and June, after a particularly negative first four months of the year when private sector deposits shrank by about 2.4 billion euros.

Greek industrial group Mytilineos raised 300 million euros through a five-year bond on Friday, with the issue oversubscribed more than twice, the company said.

Atanas Djumaliev, the head of global commodities at VTB Capital - the investment banking arm of Russia's second-biggest bank VTB - explained in an interview his firm's cooperation with Greek industrial group Mytilineos's Aluminium of Greece.

Stocks on the Athens bourse had a rather quiet start to the week on Tuesday, the same day that talks resumed on the second bailout review, with expectations remaining low for now. Trading volume only increased somewhat during the closing auctions.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 645.88 points, adding 0.08 percent to Friday's 645.37 points.

Buyers expecting to see Greek stock prices rise on Tuesday after two sessions of major losses were sorely disappointed. The benchmark and the majority of stocks ended lower, while Greek bond prices also dropped.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 611.75 points, shedding 0.38 percent from Monday's 614.08 points. On a monthly basis it gave up 4.95 percent.

The slightly increased chances of an agreement between Athens and Greece's lenders, thanks to Eurostat figures and politicians' statements, was reflected in Tuesday's session at the local bourse, with moderate gains for the majority of stocks.

News of the rate cut by the European Central Bank gave Greek stocks a boost on Thursday, with banks benefiting the most, while turnover continued to grow, rising above the 100-million-euro mark.

The Greek bourse’s main index endured minor losses in Monday’s session in relatively thin trading, as stocks showed a mixed picture.