Greece's stock market closed in positive territory on Monday, with sector advances in Banking, Construction and Travel helping lift the benchmark index.
At the close of trading in Athens the Athens General Composite was up 0.64%, marking a new five-year high for the index.
Top gainers
The session's strongest performer on the Athens General Composite was Lavipharm SA (AT:LPHr), which climbed 14.42% - a gain of 0.15 points - to finish at 1.19. Viohalco SA (AT:VIOH) added 5.70%, an increase of 0.68 points, closing at 12.60. Cenergy Holdings SA (AT:CENEr) rose 4.94%, or 0.88 points, to end the day at 18.68.
Largest declines
On the downside, Dimand Societe Anonyme for Real Estate Constructions (AT:DIMANDr) fell 10.04% - down 1.35 points - to close at 12.10. Ilyda SA Class R (AT:ILYr) declined 4.25%, a drop of 0.22 points, to end at 4.96. Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA (AT:OTEr) slipped 1.59% or 0.26 points to finish at 16.14.
Market breadth on the Athens Stock Exchange showed 62 advancing stocks versus 46 decliners, while 25 issues finished unchanged.
Among notable milestones, shares in Lavipharm SA rose to three-year highs on the session. Viohalco SA and Cenergy Holdings SA both reached all-time highs during trading, with the session closing prices recorded above previous peaks.
Commodities and FX highlights
Commodities and currency markets moved alongside equities. Gold Futures for April delivery rose 2.11%, an increase of 106.09, to $5,123.09 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for March delivery fell 0.82% or 0.50 to $60.57 a barrel, while the April Brent contract declined 0.61% or 0.40 to trade at $64.67 a barrel.
In foreign exchange, EUR/USD was up 0.54% to 1.19, and EUR/GBP was reported unchanged at 0.13% to 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures was lower by 0.71%, trading at 96.71.
This session combined selective corporate strength with mixed commodity and currency moves, and produced a modest net gain for the Athens benchmark as the market closed at a five-year high.