PASOK: If there is one thing they are eagerly awaiting at 10 Trikoupi Street, it is the local polls in key (electoral) regions across the country.
The reason is simple: if—they say—the polls show the party in second place, and indeed with a clear lead over the rest, then their suspicions that the national polls are “cooking the numbers and boosting Tsipras’s ELAS” will be confirmed .
In other words, they believe that local polls will serve as a “safety net, ” because “it’s impossible for us to be in second place in all regions and yet appear as the third or fourth party in nationwide polls”…
PASOK veterans have been talking about this “safety net” for the past two months, anticipating—at the time—the “Tsipras party” and the possibility that it might overtake PASOK in the first polls.
That is why they are puzzled by the “panicked and poorly communicated, ” as they put it, reaction of the Androulakis leadership to the decline in their party’s poll numbers.
And they attribute this (i.e., the reaction) to the fact that the president’s associates “are inexperienced” and do not seek the opinions of the… seasoned.
PASOK II: Based on the above reasoning, some smiles appeared in and around Harilaou Trikoupi Street due to a poll in Crete, where PASOK ranks first in the prefectures of Heraklion and Lasithi, second, trailing New Democracy by a narrow margin in Rethymno, and third in Chania (with ELAS in second place).
However, since the picture in Crete was expected, they are anxiously awaiting the results from other regions (such as Thessaly and Macedonia), while they do not harbor much hope for Attica, where PASOK has seen the back (third-place) KKE in all recent elections.
DIAMANTOPOULOU: Why did Anna Diamantopoulou reiterate her well-known position that the issue of PASOK’s participation in a coalition government will depend on the results of the first round of voting?
The interpretation offered by this column (i.e., to retain undecided “centrist” voters and prevent them from returning to New Democracy) fits perfectly with the response given publicly by party official George Sakellion (from Diamantopoulou’s camp):
“PASOK’s goal is to attract New Democracy voters—the moderates, the centrists, the reformers. Those who once rallied around Kyriakos Mitsotakis and today feel disappointed. Only in this way can a real momentum for victorybe created.”
That this group does not “dislike” the idea of a coalition government with New Democracy is another explanation, albeit an unacknowledged one. For now.
SYRIZA: The week began with mass departures of New Left officials and MPs, and it will end with a similar situation within SYRIZA.
The much-discussed Central Committee meeting on Saturday, focused on “where and how we go” following the founding of ELAS, is expected to be highly contentious, with the leadership majority (?) leaning toward the scenario that (as we noted yesterday) seemed“extreme”just a few weeks ago: SYRIZA remains a party—that is, it does not dissolve—but does not participate in the national elections, and efforts are made to have some (i.e., quite a few…) of its members join the electoral lists of Tsipras’s party.
It goes without saying that thePolakis-Dourou-Papas faction is sharpening its knives and pushing for the party to run independently, which, in the meantime, is polling well below the 3% threshold required to enter Parliament.
Regardless of which position“prevails,” it is considered certain that there will be departures of quite a few Central Committee members heading to ELAS, as well as “at least ten” MPs going independent.
It remains to be seen whether Socrates Famellos will remain president of SYRIZA…
KASSELAKIS: Another scenario has been added to the mix: that Stefanos Kasselakis is moving to… PASOK in order to be elected as a member of parliament.
He and his party,“Democrats,”denied it with appropriate indignation: “This is a fabrication based exclusively on the fantasies and wishful thinking of those who are unable to accept the Democrats’ independent political course and dynamic presence in the public discourse,” according to the official statement.
However, Stefanos’s campaign team must take this commitment to an independent course seriously, as polls do not give the “Democrats” more than a single-digit percentage.
NEW LEFT: “Why did you choose to remain independent MPs rather than resign and hand over your seats?” is the pressing question facing those who have left the New Left.
The truth is that they don’t answer right away, but when they do, they raise new questions. “Because at this critical juncture, left-wing voices must not be absent from Parliament,” replied Alexis Haritsis and Nasos Iliopoulos, glossing over the fact that the runners-up who would be sworn in to take their places are also… leftists, since they were all SYRIZA candidates in 2023.
At least Iliopoulos added that it is important for left-wing voices to speak the same language regarding collaborations, as he does. That makes sense, because if he had given up his seat, it would have gone to Nikos Voutsis, who aligns with those who remained in NEAR.
The defections, however, did not go over well with the public, which means that if the elections are held on schedule, there will be a problem…
DEI: Shareholders of the company are being asked to approve the distribution of €11.1 million in bonuses from the 2025 fiscal year profits to 151 executives and employees of the DEI group at the upcoming annual general meeting, along with a dividend of €0.60 per share.
The bonus is being awarded as a reward for achieving the2025 targets. The proposed ex-dividend date is July 20, and the record date is July 21.
Last year’s compensation remained below the levels of listed companies of comparable market capitalization, as Georgios Stassis, chairman and CEO and the highest-paid executive, received €552,400 as fixed (gross) compensation, which is increased by the (gross) amount of €74,800 for his participation on the boards of directors of four subsidiary companies.
His variable compensation amounted to €412,500. This includes the annual performance bonus for the 2024 fiscal year, which was paid out during the previous year.
DEI II: During the past year, the company hired 1,140 people, of whom 614 were permanent staff, 483 were temporary employees, and 43 were executives.
The group achieved the key milestones of its strategy, with installed renewable energy capacity reaching 7.2 GW (+1.7 GW compared to 2024), while projects totaling 3.7 GW are under construction or ready for construction. Investments in renewable energy amounted to approximately 87% of the total capital expenditure of €2.4 billion.
At the same time, PPC reduced its Scope 1 CO2 emissions intensity by 5% last year (0.47 tons per MW), with lignite-fired generation decreasing by approximately 18% (2.7 TWh).
PIRAEUS SECURITIES: Piraeus Bank’s securities subsidiary also reported increased profits last year. Piraeus Securities increased its turnover by 42.22% to €35.5 million, boosting net profits to €8.47 million. For the sixth consecutive year, it remained the market leader, based on market share (23.63%).
On February 2 , Piraeus Securities drew down a €100 million loan from its parent bank for the partial refinancing of liabilities (note: it had an outstanding balance of €80 million with Piraeus Bank via an open interbank account) as well as to facilitate business transactions on behalf of its clients.
REFINERIES: The rise in oil prices provided support to Motor Oil and Helleniq Energy, with the two stocks among the mere five in the FTSE 25 that closed higher yesterday.
The Vardinoyannis Group company, which this column mentioned yesterday, set a new record by closing at €39.58 (+0.46%), even though it dipped to €38.82 during the session.
Helleniq Energy is also at a record high for the year , closing at €10.54—up 2.33%—with trading volume just shy of €2 million.
Since the start of the war, the stock’s return has reached 20%.
SAFE BULKERS: The shipping company’s second session on the Euronext Athens board proved to be a correction.
Despite a positive start, sellers took the initiative, causing the stock to close at the day’s low of 5.85 euros, with losses reaching 7.14%. It is worth noting that the stock debuted on Tuesday at €5.70.
Pantelakis Securities, however, initiated coverage with a target price of €6.70 and an “outperform”rating.
AVAX: Eurobank Equities expects the listed company to report revenue growth but a decline in profitability due to lower margins in the construction sector, ahead of the release of first-quarter results today before the market opens.
According to the brokerage firm’s estimates, the group’s revenue will amount to €205 million, up 15% year-over-year. However, adjusted EBITDA is expected to decline by 7% to €24.6 million.
For the construction sector, Eurobank Equities forecasts revenue of €196 million, up 14% compared to the same quarter last year, with adjusted EBITDA at €21.4 million, marking a 4% decline.
This development is attributed to the compression of the construction EBITDA margin, which is estimated to stand at 10.9%, compared to approximately 13% in the first quarter of 2025.
In terms of net profit, the brokerage firm forecasts earnings of €9.7 million, down 18% year-over-year, despite a significant increase in construction activity.
ALLWYN: Eurobank Equities expects revenue and operating profitability to increase by approximately 23%-24% in the first quarter of 2026 for Allwyn, which is announcing its results today before the market opens.
According to the brokerage firm’s estimates, net revenue will be around €1.2 billion, while adjusted EBITDA is expected to reach €440 million. This strong performance is mainly attributed to the consolidation of PrizePicks, which significantly boosts the group’s figures.
However, on an organic basis, the picture is estimated to be significantly more subdued, with revenue growth in the range of 3%–4%, a figure that suggests more moderate growth rates in existing operations.
Eurobank Equities also forecasts that extraordinary expenses and increased financial costs will continue to impact net results, with reported net profits coming in at €116 million in the first quarter.