The Athens Stock Exchange pulled back from a 17-year high on Thursday, August 27, 2026, as investor profit-taking in banking shares offset gains in energy and industrial stocks.
The Greek benchmark General Index dropped 20 points, or 0.74 percent, to close at 2,667.04 points, settling near its intraday low of 2,666.99 points after reaching an early peak of 2,701.80 points.
The morning rally marked the first time the index touched 2,700 points since November 2009. Sellers emerged after the first hour of trading to lock in recent gains, though the exchange remains up 3.79 percent in August with two trading sessions remaining and has gained 25.76 percent for the year.
Bank stocks lead profit taking
Banks led the overall market decline, dropping 1.27 percent as the sector index closed at 3,108.61 points, correcting from 11-year highs last seen in November 2015. The large-cap FTSE 25 index fell 0.81 percent to 6,819.22 points, while the Mid Cap index dropped 0.82 percent to 3,100.66 points.
Trading turnover reached 261.93 million euros, including 33.05 million euros in block trades, taking total market capitalisation to 192.92 billion euros. Declining shares outnumbered advancers by 73 to 33, with 17 stocks ending unchanged.
Individual share movements
Piraeus Bank recorded the day's highest turnover at 42.1 million euros as its stock fell 1.6 percent to 10.175 euros. Alpha Bank led major bank losses, dropping 2.58 percent to 4.53 euros, Eurobank lost 0.89 percent to 4.588 euros, and National Bank of Greece declined 0.71 percent to 16.78 euros. Among other lenders, Optima bank dropped 2.24 percent to 11.8 euros, CrediaBank slipped 1.75 percent to 1.01 euros, and Bank of Cyprus eased 0.28 percent to 10.58 euros.
In the large-cap segment, water utility EYDAP posted a sharp loss of 3.46 percent to 12.26 euros following a record session yesterday. PPC generated 31.9 million euros in turnover. Losses over 2 percent were logged by Lamda Development, down 2.71 percent to 6.45 euros, Coca-Cola HBC, down 2.38 percent to 53.3 euros, and Allwyn, down 2.08 percent to 14.15 euros. ElvalHalcor dropped 1.57 percent to 3.76 euros, Viohalco lost 1.5 percent to 17.02 euros, Aktor fell 1.14 percent to 10.4 euros, and Athens International Airport slipped 1.04 percent to 10.44 euros.
Refinery group Motor Oil surged 3.91 percent to a record high of 61.1 euros on turnover of nearly 21 million euros, closing above 60 euros for the first time. Construction group GEK Terna reached a new all-time high by gaining 0.81 percent to 47.18 euros, while Metlen advanced 0.85 percent to 49.86 euros.
Mid-cap losers included Ideal, down 1.79 percent to 6.02 euros, Intracom Holdings, down 1.77 percent to 3.045 euros, Bally's Intralot, down 1.41 percent to 1.119 euros, AVAX, down 1.15 percent to 3.43 euros, and IPTO grid operator holding ADMIE, down 1.1 percent to 4.5 euros. Qualco fell 0.85 percent to 5.82 euros and Fourlis lost 0.81 percent to 4.26 euros, while Ellaktor rose 1.25 percent to 1.3 euros.
Global market drivers and index changes
International market sentiment received a boost from record financial results reported by technology giant Nvidia, which exceeded analyst forecasts and boosted appetite for risk assets across global exchanges.
Domestic trading focused heavily on Motor Oil ahead of its scheduled entry into the MSCI Greece Standard index on Monday, August 31, a rebalancing expected to drive substantial institutional investment inflows. Lower crude oil and natural gas prices alongside solid earnings supported the equity market, though inflation and interest rate concerns continued to weigh on potential gains.
Corporate earnings and upcoming dividends
Gaming operator Allwyn announced its second-quarter 2026 financial results before the opening bell, reporting a 27 percent year-on-year rise in net revenue to 1.246 billion euros and a 29 percent increase in adjusted EBITDA to 458 million euros. The company declared an interim dividend of 0.20 euros per share, payable on November 12 to shareholders of record as of October 21.
During an analyst conference call, Motor Oil management confirmed strong second-quarter performance and stated that refining margins broadened further in the third quarter due to balanced product markets and ongoing production disruptions. Company executives described any potential windfall tax on refinery profits as punitive, adding that margin normalization will take time even if geopolitical tensions ease.
In dividend news, ADMIE Holding will trade ex-dividend on Friday, August 28, for an interim payout of 0.02 euros per share, scheduled for distribution on September 4.
