The Athens Stock Exchange General Index closed slightly higher at 2,709.91 points on Monday after bank shares buoyed trading for a third straight session.
The benchmark index stabilized in positive territory shortly after midday, concluding the day with a slight gain of 0.08 percent as investors rebalanced portfolios ahead of the month-end close.
Banking shares dominated market activity, with sector turnover topping 300 million euros to account for more than 64 percent of total trading volume on the Greek bourse.
The Greek banking index gained 0.66 percent to close at 3,303.2 points, pulling back from an intraday high of 3,340.6 points. Meanwhile, the FTSE Large Cap index rose 0.12 percent to 6,962.6 points, and the FTSEM Mid Cap index gained 0.34 percent to 3,083 points.
Bank shares lead trading volume
Total market turnover increased to 470.7 million euros, up from 423 million euros in the previous session. Overall trading volume reached 66.48 million shares, supported by 81.89 million euros executed across 61 negotiated block trades.
Eurobank recorded the largest volume among block transactions, with 12 packages valued at 21.1 million euros. Piraeus Bank logged 10 block trades totaling 16.8 million euros, while National Bank of Greece saw nine packages worth 11.3 million euros.
Public Power Corporation registered eight block trades worth 10.6 million euros, Jumbo logged two packages for 4.5 million euros, Alpha Bank saw three packages worth 3.4 million euros, and Bank of Cyprus recorded three packages totaling 3.2 million euros.
Eurobank led total individual turnover with 107.3 million euros, surging 2.67 percent to 4.92 euros per share. Credia finished at the top of both the banking index and the main benchmark, leaping 4.26 percent to 0.98 euros on turnover of 8.3 million euros.
Piraeus Bank logged 70 million euros in turnover as its share price edged up 0.46 percent to 10.70 euros. Alpha Bank generated 30.2 million euros in transactions and rose 1.4 percent to 4.84 euros, while Bank of Cyprus advanced 1.1 percent on turnover of 11.3 million euros.
In contrast, National Bank of Greece dropped 1.1 percent to 17.60 euros on 71 million euros of turnover, after reaching an intraday high of 17.98 euros. Optima Bank also adjusted downward, falling 1.6 percent on 3.5 million euros in trading.
Price target moves and single stock shifts
Industrial group Viohalco gained 1.59 percent to 17.88 euros on 2.8 million euros of turnover, extending its recent gains. However, its subsidiary companies ElvalHalcor and Cenergy briefly lost positive momentum right at the close.
Lottery and gaming operator Allwyn recovered a portion of its previous losses related to Brazil, rising 1.06 percent to 11.41 euros on 11.1 million euros in turnover.
Metlen fell to an intraday low of 48.4 euros, down 1.5 percent, before recovering to close up 0.41 percent at 49.34 euros on turnover of 9.9 million euros. The recovery followed investment firm Wood raising its price target on the company to 65 euros per share.
Several major components faced selling pressure during the session. Aegean Airlines lost 2.26 percent to finish at 11.26 euros on 489,000 euros in turnover, relinquishing most of its previous 2.7 percent gain. Telecommunications provider OTE slid 2.27 percent to 19.35 euros on 13.5 million euros of turnover.
Other large cap stocks recording losses of more than 1 percent included infrastructure firm GEK Terna, which fell 1.2 percent on 10.9 million euros in turnover, Public Power Corporation, which shed 1.37 percent on 24.9 million euros, and construction company Aktor, which declined 1.31 percent on 4.8 million euros.
In the mid-cap segment, construction group AVAX rallied 5.6 percent to 3.38 euros on 1.4 million euros in turnover. The surge came after broker Alpha Finance-AXIA initiated coverage on the company with a buy rating and a target price of 5.10 euros per share.
Technology firm Intralot rose 1.73 percent to 1.13 euros on 5.8 million euros in turnover, while Quest gained 2.71 percent on 242,000 euros and Qualco rose 1.98 percent on 510,000 euros. Thessaloniki Port Authority climbed 2 percent, though on light turnover of just 4,000 euros.
Power grid operator IPTO experienced heavy selling, dropping 3.46 percent to 4.32 euros on turnover of 2.6 million euros. Exchange operator EXAE corrected 3.54 percent to 10.90 euros on 362,000 euros following a three-day rally. Among smaller stocks, Elastron gained 4.3 percent on 163,000 euros, Plastika Kritis fell 4.4 percent on 46,000 euros, and Frigoglass dropped 4.35 percent on 95,000 euros.
Across the broader market, 73 stocks closed higher, 63 declined, and 64 remained unchanged.
Broader equity and energy market trends
The subdued tone in Athens mirrored action across European equity markets, where early gains trimmed or disappeared later in the day. The German DAX rose 0.4 percent, the Italian FTSE MIB advanced 0.4 percent, the Spanish IBEX edged up 0.1 percent, and the pan-European Stoxx 50 gained 0.8 percent. The UK FTSE 100 and French CAC 40 both slipped 0.1 percent.
On Wall Street, major benchmarks traded sideways during the opening half hour, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.15 percent, the S&P 500 marginally lower, and the Nasdaq Composite marginally higher.
Global commodity markets saw crude oil prices reverse early gains to drop more than 1 percent as traders assessed remarks by Iranian official Araghchi regarding indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran mediated by Qatar. The November Brent crude contract, set to expire on Tuesday, fell 1.6 percent to 103.60 dollars a barrel, while the December contract declined 1.7 percent to 96.20 dollars. United States West Texas Intermediate crude fell 2.2 percent to 90.50 dollars a barrel.
European natural gas prices dropped 5.2 percent to 69.60 euros per megawatt-hour. Government bond yields generally eased, with the United States 10-year Treasury yield at 5.25 percent, Germany at 3.60 percent, France at 4.77 percent, and Greece at 4.45 percent. In precious metals, gold rose 0.5 percent to 4,190 dollars an ounce, while silver fell 0.8 percent to 61.20 dollars following sharp declines in the previous session.
