OPAP

Greetings, the day after a significant political event, such as the expulsion of a prominent political figure from their party, is always “a cold day” for everyone who thinks a little more than just about…social media. After all, Mitsotakis himself has always been a moderate politician who thinks quite thoroughly and methodically about his moves and decisions.

The government and especially the PM are waiting with obvious interest in what today will bring, if you put in the time difference, probably be Wednesday morning, the PM has some events to attend but mostly he will remain in his office watching like everyone else. No predictions maybe a slight sense that the pollsters in the last few days have overblown Trump’s numbers.

Athinon Avenue was unable to find a clear direction on Monday, and the week's first session ended with the benchmark virtually unchanged. Shrinking turnover revealed that most traders are holding their fire to see the results of the US presidential election and the two-day meeting of the Fed, both of them this week.

The turnover of the Greek gambling market recorded a significant increase in the first eight months of the year.

From January to August, Total Gaming Revenue (TGR), i.e. the total value of the amounts bet by players, was 28.3 billion euros, up 14.1% year-on-year.

The bourse session at Athinon Avenue on Wednesday practically picked up from where Tuesday's session had left off, with further gains for the majority of stocks, led by banks, albeit, again, on reduced turnover.

The benchmark of the Greek stock market had to drop close to the 1,400-point mark on Thursday to rebound on Friday, and it did so quite convincingly.

The figures of the gambling market for the year's first half not only show the increase in the value of bets, but also the significant increase in revenue collected by the state from this activity.

After a disappointing August, this month started with very positive action at the Greek stock market on Monday. Despite the holiday in the US (Labor Day), there were enough sellers to push the benchmark at Athinon Avenue higher, with satisfactory turnover in the aftermath of last Friday's index rebalancing action. Rising stocks outnumbered decliners by two to one.

The Greek stock market made a strong start to September, recording its third consecutive rise. The General Index closed at the highs of the day, with “heavyweights” on its side, which fell significantly in August, creating the right conditions for buyers to re-enter.

The first half of the year could be the most profitable for firms listed on the Athens Stock Exchange, based on published results so far.

The 24 listed firms that have published their results, and which represent 62% of the market's total capitalization, show an 18% rise in operating profits and 15% in net profits, compared to the first half of 2023.