Sellers returned to European bank shares, sending the EuroStoxx Banks index into negative territory and dragging down the DAX, CAC40, MIB and IBEX.
The discount on S&P 500 futures has widened to 0.52%, pointing to an opening below 7,636.
The DAX is down 0.82% at 25,825, with Deutsche Bank shares notably falling 3.07% to €30.2. The CAC40 is down 0.22% at 7,958, with BNP Paribas also notably losing 2.25% to €85.7. With a clearly bearish tone among the main European index constituents, the Banking Index’s correction from 3,077 to 3,025 came almost reflexively.
Selling was triggered immediately, with order flow picking up after 14:00 and accelerating in National Bank of Greece, Eurobank and Piraeus Bank. Alpha Bank was the only one of the four systemic banks to remain firmly in positive territory, with buy orders at €4.522-4.63.
Total trading volume reached 22.4 million shares, of which 18.5 million were in bank stocks. Most of these—nearly 8.4 million shares—were in Alpha Bank.
“2026 will be a strong year for the banking group,” said the group’s head, Vassilis Psaltis, while the group’s investor day is scheduled for next week.
Selling was steady in Piraeus Bank at €9.776, down 2.28%; National Bank at €15.975, down 1.05%; and Eurobank at €4.478, with a 0.87% move. Sellers also outnumbered buyers in Bank of Cyprus at €10.55, Optima Bank at €13.16 and Credia Bank at €0.936.
The Banking Index is up 7.20% for the week, despite falling 9.71% for the month. It is nevertheless up 32.4% in 2026, compared with just 3.56% for the EuroStoxx Banks. These substantial gains explain why some investors sell domestic assets whenever European markets correct.
Trading value stood at €175 million at around 15:00, with €222.92 million transacted through pre-arranged trades, focused on bank shares for the fourth session this week.
Sellers also dominated most blue chips, with the FTSE25 at 6,691. The index is up 3.82% for the week, down 4.50% for the month and up 25.07% in 2026.
Coca-Cola HBC shares stood at €55.40, with buy orders reaching €56.60, ahead of the company’s nine-month results. The stock’s 3.62% gain partly offsets the index’s bearish direction, as support from other large caps remains limited.
HelleniQ Energy was up 1.18% at €17.98, Motor Oil 0.10% at €65.50, Allwyn 0.45% at €11.725, Viohalco 2.10% at €15.58 and OTE 1.58% at €18.85, reversing into positive territory.
By contrast, PPC was under pressure at €23.20 (-0.72%), as were Jumbo at €27.10 (-0.30%), Metlen Energy & Metals at €47.86 (-0.57%) and Cenergy Holdings at €22.24 (-1.28%).
Among FTSE MidCap shares, IPTO stood out, up 1.70% at €4.475, alongside Quest, up 0.13% at €7.65, and Kri-Kri, up 0.44% at €34.10, in an otherwise subdued segment.
The ratio of advancing to declining shares stood at 43 to 68.