ATHEX: Solid start to the year for bourse

The Greek stock market entered the new year with a strong performance, as its index earned 14 points to climb to levels unseen since end-August. The closing auctions had most of the day's action, with the benchmark closing above the 1,300-point mark, albeit well below the day's highs. Banks and PPC were the main drivers of the price growth.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,307.63 points, adding 1.12% to Friday's 1,293.14 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index expanded 1.26%, ending at 3,162.15 points.

The banks index grabbed 1.45%, on Piraeus rising 3%, National earning 1.59%, Eurobank collected 1.18% and Alpha fetched 0.52%.

Among the other blue chips, Public Power Corporation advanced 4.93%, Lamda Development improved 2.96%, ElvalHalcor augmented 2.70% and Ellaktor secured 2.35%, while Sarantis parted with 1.19%.

In total 78 stocks...