Athens Stock Exchange sees continued decline amid Middle East tensions

The Athens Stock Exchange recorded another session of losses, with the General Index slipping below the 2,450‑point mark. On July 16 the index closed at 2,475.74, down 0.40%, and on July 17 it fell to 2,452.01, a 0.96% drop. Trading volume hovered around €325 million, with the high‑cap FTSE 25 losing about 1 % and the mid‑cap index falling roughly 1 %.

Banking shares bore the brunt of the sell‑off. The banking index fell between 1.1 % and 2.3 %, with major banks such as National Bank, Piraeus Bank, Alpha Bank and Eurobank all posting declines of around 1 % to 2 %. The sector’s pressure was linked by market commentary to heightened geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East.

A few stocks resisted the downward trend. Coca‑Cola HBC, Jumbo and Metlen posted modest gains, while energy and industrial firms such as Helleniq Energy, Motor Oil, Elvalhalcor and GEK Ternas recorded the steepest losses. The market’s overall sentiment remained negative, with investors awaiting further developments in regional geopolitics and corporate earnings.