Greek equities closed higher on Friday, with the Athens General Composite Index gaining 1.34% to reach a five-year high, as gains in banking, construction and travel shares offset losses in transport and consumer goods.
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners 64 to 47 on the Athens Stock Exchange, with 26 stocks unchanged. The index’s rise follows a recent uptrend, capping a week of broad-based gains across European markets.
National Bank of Greece advanced 2.47% to 16.60, while Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company rose 2.31% to 53.10. Athens Water led sector gains with a 3.06% increase to 12.14. Among laggards, Piraeus Port Authority fell 2.32% to 40.00, Fais Symmetochon declined 1.73% to 3.40 and Sarantis dropped 1.41% to 14.00.
Commodities showed mixed performance, with December gold futures up 1.68% at $4,648.21 per troy ounce. Crude oil prices were little changed, with October WTI down 0.44% at $86.45 per barrel and October Brent flat at $93.81. The euro held steady against the dollar at 1.17, while the U.S. Dollar Index eased 0.03% to 98.79.
