The Athens Stock Exchange closed lower on Monday, August 10, as sellers and buyers traded blows through the session, but the General Index held above the psychologically important 2,600-point mark.
The General Index fell 8.12 points, or 0.31%, to close at 2,606.95 points. The index swung across a roughly 19-point range during the day, with a low of 2,597.26 points and a high of 2,616.12 points. The Athens exchange remains up 1.45% for August and 22.93% for 2026 so far, keeping it near the 17-year highs, last seen in November 2009, that it reached recently.
A sharp drop of more than 4% in shares of Coca-Cola HBC put significant pressure on the market, making Monday's overall picture unrepresentative of the broader mood on the exchange. Metlen moved in the opposite direction, hitting an 11-month high with gains of more than 2% and approaching the 50-euro level, a closing price it has not reached since September 2025.
Banks and sector indices
Bank stocks rose 0.19% as a group, with the sector index closing the session at 3,045.11 points. The FTSE 25 index of large-cap stocks fell 0.26% to 6,658.17 points, while the Mid Cap index dropped 0.58% to 3,136.87 points.
Total trading value came to 191.47 million euros, of which 14.99 million euros involved block trades. Metlen posted turnover of 23.4 million euros, the highest of the session, followed by Alpha Bank at 22.3 million euros. Total market capitalization stood at 188.91 billion euros. Sixty-one stocks closed lower, 52 closed higher, and 11 were unchanged.
Among bank shares, Alpha Bank gained 1.06% to close at 4.595 euros. Piraeus Bank rose 0.24% to 9.976 euros, National Bank of Greece added 0.22% to reach 16.22 euros, and Eurobank edged up 0.04% to 4.50 euros. Bank of Cyprus fell 0.19% to 10.67 euros, CrediaBank dropped 0.95% to 0.94 euros, and Optima Bank declined 1.38% to 10.70 euros.
Trading subdued ahead of mid-August holiday
The Athens market entered a consolidation phase during the week of the mid-August holiday, with investor activity notably muted and trading volumes declining, a trend already visible on Friday, August 7. Monday's session saw investors digesting recent gains, with the 2,600-point level tested again at the open.
Despite a positive tone in international markets, lifted by weak US employment data that eased fears of further interest rate increases from the Federal Reserve, geopolitical risk in the Middle East stayed in focus. Emerging difficulty in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, contrary to earlier expectations, is keeping oil prices on an upward path and adding to investor uncertainty.
PPC buys ABO Energy units in Poland and Hungary
Public Power Corporation (PPC) announced a deal to acquire the subsidiaries of ABO Energy in Poland and Hungary, adding two fully staffed renewable energy development platforms and a project portfolio of more than 2GW in solar, wind and storage. The portfolio includes 29 special purpose vehicles holding 99MW of solar projects that are either operating or nearing completion, with the remaining capacity of over 2GW at various stages of development.
According to Eurobank Equities, the deal matters most as a platform acquisition, giving PPC local capabilities for identifying and developing projects, securing permits and grid connections in Poland and Hungary. It follows PPC's recent entry into both markets through its deals with Greenvolt and EDP Renewables. Completion is expected in September 2026 for the Polish part of the deal and in the fourth quarter of 2026 for Hungary.
Fourlis sells stake in Sofia mall to Trade Estates
Retail group Fourlis agreed to sell its 50% stake in Wyldes Ltd, which indirectly owns the Sofia South Ring Mall, to Trade Estates for 49.35 million euros. The price exceeds Eurobank Equities' valuation of Fourlis's stake, allowing the company to cash in a non-core investment, boost its 2026 profitability and free up capital for retail expansion or debt reduction.
For Trade Estates, the deal adds an indirect 50% stake in a major retail asset that was valued at 161.2 million euros in March 2026. Because Fourlis holds a 46.84% stake in Trade Estates, the transaction counts as a related-party deal and remains subject to standard regulatory approval procedures.
MSCI and FTSE index reviews ahead
Scheduled reviews of the MSCI and FTSE All World indices are approaching. The MSCI Quarterly Index Review opens on Wednesday, August 12, with the market expecting possible changes to the MSCI Standard Greece index. The FTSE All World Semi-Annual Index Review follows on Friday, August 21.
Changes from the MSCI review will formally take effect on Tuesday, September 1, with the related capital inflows and outflows occurring at the close of trading on Monday, August 31.
