Water supply and sanitation in Greece

Traders rushing to exit the Greek bourse at the end of Thursday?s session led to the benchmark closing on the day?s low, as investor jitters rose on the scrapping of the euro cap on the Swiss franc along with uncertainty regarding the formation of the next Greek government.

Revelations about the major shortfall in December state revenues ? with a direct impact on the primary surplus ? and the cacophony of statements from election favorite SYRIZA candidates on the future of relations with the country?s creditors put an end on Wednesday to a series of gains for the Greek benchmark that had stretched to three sessions.

The return of deflation to the eurozone and continued talk about a possible Greek exit from the economic and monetary union inflicted fresh losses on local stocks on Wednesday, although these were contained to less than 1.5 percent for the benchmark ? from over 3.5 percent earlier in the day ? marking a new 26-month low.

The return of the prospect of a Greek exit from the eurozone according to foreign reports and the continuing fragmentation of the local political landscape led to a mini sell-off on Monday, with a relatively increased trading volume.

Non-banking chips led the local stock index to a significant recovery on Wednesday before the first vote for a new president took place, with traders buying into the optimistic scenario from the government camp that “it will be alright on the night” of the third vote on December 29.

Traders hardly batted an eyelid at the government’s positive result in the parliamentary vote for the budget, keeping most of their attention firmly fixed on developments on the troika front. Accordingly the Greek bourse saw little action, with the benchmark refusing to give any ground and remaining afloat for one more day on Monday.

Hedge fund manager John Paulson, whose company Paulson & Co holds a 5 percent stake in EYDAP and Eurobank, told the 16th Capital Link Invest in Greece Forum in New York on Monday that he is freezing his plans to invest further in the country due to the political instability.

Stocks staged a mini-rally in Athens on Tuesday in anticipation of an agreement between the government and its creditors, while market rumors spoke of the increasing likelihood that the government will obtain the 180 parliamentary votes it needs to elect a new president in February.

Investors’ wait-and-see stance regarding Greek stocks left the benchmark virtually unchanged on Monday, with the smattering of gains recorded during the day evaporating by the end of the session. Moody’s decision to postpone its revision of Greece’s credit rating contributed to the reduced trade at the start of the month, with turnover dropping to very low levels.

Turnover at the Greek bourse slumped to a 14-month low on Monday as investors hold back due to the uncertainty hanging over negotiations between the government and its creditors.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 881.76 points, shedding 1.01 percent from Friday’s 890.74 points. The large-cap FTSE/ATHEX 25 index contracted 1.11 percent to 284.65 points.