FTSE

The Greek stock market's benchmark opened the week with minor losses after six consecutive sessions of growth adding up to 3.88 percent, yet mid-caps were on the rise so that winners outnumbered losers.

The Greek bourse benchmark advanced for a sixth day in a row on Thursday, ending the week just above 660 points, on ever rising volume.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 660.30 points, adding 0.42 percent to Wednesday's 657.54 points. On a weekly basis it grew 2.59 percent.

The benchmark of the Greek bourse continued its ascent for a fifth consecutive day on Wednesday in what proved to be a session of mixed fortunes as blue chips edged higher while the majority of stocks ended in the red. On the positive side, the daily turnover, having dipped recently to a record low, is also on the rise and approached the 50-million-euro mark.

The Greek bourse benchmark's fourth consecutive session of gains led it to the highest point of the last 14 months on Tuesday despite the absence of any concrete local news that would generate a favorable climate for investors.

The Greek bourse began the new year on Monday with the lowest daily trading volume in almost four-and-a-half years: It narrowly managed to clear the 10-million-euro level on a day that was a bank holiday for many countries while the vast majority of stores in Greece were also closed.

The moderate gains recorded in the Greek bourse's last session of the year meant that the benchmark finished 2016 in the green, adding 1.95 percent to its value at the end of 2015. This meant that after two years of decline (2014 and 2015), the main index at Athinon Avenue has recorded a small recovery.

It seemed the minds of most investors were elsewhere on Thursday judging by the performance of Greek stocks, which drifted slightly higher while turnover was the lowest in the last 12 weeks.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 636.67 points, adding 0.15 percent to Wednesday's 635.74 points.

Early gains evaporated for the majority of stocks on the Greek bourse on Wednesday, which ended with a small decline for the benchmark and slightly increased trading volume.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 635.74 points, shedding 0.07 percent from Tuesday's 636.19 points.

The reserved optimism generated by the softening of the Eurogroup's stance toward Athens in response to the letter from the Finance Ministry buoyed the majority of stocks higher on Tuesday in the first session after the Christmas break, although trading volume remained at a very low level.

The Greek bourse was in a holiday mood on Friday, with trading action being particularly reduced and stocks having a mixed picture at the end of the session.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 630.28 points, shedding 0.25 percent from Thursday's 631.85 points. On a weekly basis it declined 1.46 percent.