Investors in European markets are cautious, and their counterparts on the Greek stock exchange are taking a similar stance. The focus is also on decisions by major central banks (the Bank of England, the Swiss National Bank, and the Norges Bank), with the next meeting of the European Central Bank (ECB) scheduled for July 22–23.
S&P 500 futures are trading at a discount, down 0.27% to 7,491 points, while the VIX/CBOE has edged up slightly—by 3.05%—to 16.90 points. The DAX 30 is at 25,146 points (0.48%), the CAC 40 at 8,493 points (0.37%), and with the EuroStoxx Banks at 294.93 points (-0.08%), the 0.17% gain for the DTR at 2,857 points is considered normal. At local highs, shortly after 11:10, limited selling pressure emerged, causing the DTR to “turn” into marginally negative territory.
Order flow is moderate, apparently as market participants await position adjustments due to rebalancing ahead of the session’s close. Trading volume exceeded 50 million euros at 11:25, though 24 million euros of that came from pre-arranged orders. In fact, three large blocks of Real Consulting shares changed hands, with a total value of nearly 20 million euros, representing a significant minority stake in the company, in the order of 10%.
Some profit-taking occurred shortly after 11:10 a.m., with sellers dominating at Piraeus Bank, Eurobank, and Alpha Bank. Profit-taking has been underway since Wednesday, particularly in banking sector stocks. The first orders for bank stocks were placed at 2,845 points, rising to 2,881 points—very close to the “peak” of 2,887 points—suggesting that this level will be surpassed shortly.
ADMIE shares are trading with increased volume and inflows, reaching 4.63 euros—a new all-time high. The operator’s market capitalization has already surpassed one billion euros (reaching 1.069 billion euros), making it more “accessible” to foreign funds that invest exclusively in assets of a similar scale (over one billion). From early on, Giorgos Fintikakis had the details of the share capital increase and the names of the three powerful groups taking positions in the stock. Yet another energy asset is being added to the broader sector.
PPC’s stock is trading at 22.92 euros—following the upgrade by S&P;— at €4.83 with significant inflows into ElvalHalcor, as the investment community views the rights offering and the waiver of existing shareholders’ preemptive rights positively; at €19.80 for Viohalco; and at €24.84 for Cenergy Holdings.
Continued buying interest is being recorded in AKTOR shares, with orders reaching as high as 12.06 euros, as the new highs follow the… double in the Atlantic See LNG Trade deal with Venture Global. A similar picture is seen in GEK TERNA (45.90), AIA (10.74), EYDAP (10.78), and others.
The General Index is fluctuating within the range of 2,467–2,479 points—a narrow range, but one offering a broader spectrum of choices, as other stocks have recently been added to investors’ portfolios.
Among the FTSE Mid Cap stocks showing gains—aside from ADMIE—notable performers include Autohellas (11.12), Profile (7.85), AVAX (3.41), ELLACTOR (1.376) on the day of its removal from the index, and Quest (7.33).
At the end of the first hour of trading, the ratio of stocks with positive to negative performance stands at 53 to 51.