TSIPRAS: Amalias is opting to “wait and see” how government officials will handle their familiar accusations that Alexis Tsipras “took money” from Maduro in 2012 and was “bribed” to change the Penal Codes in 2019.
Adonis Georgiadis revived both accusations a few days ago. But the Maximos Mansion, speaking officially through government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis, and MPs such as lawyer Makis Voridis distanced themselves, saying “there is no evidence”.
The question that dominated not only social media but… mainstream media too was why Mr Tsipras had not taken legal action against the health minister.
Responses from figures around Amalias, such as “we are not seeking to stir up toxicity” and “we prefer political debate to legal battles”, were accompanied by the familiar, tougher-than-ever statement from ELAS: “provide evidence or shut up”.
Mr Tsipras himself made the same point, but instead of saying “shut up” he invoked the familiar words Dora Bakoyannis once used to a member of the public at an event in Chania: “or, as she put it, ‘keep your mouths shut, my little birds’”.
The “wait and see” approach we mentioned at the outset concerns how Mr Georgiadis and anyone else who chooses to repeat the accusations publicly will act from now on.
Without saying so outright, Amalias is signalling that it will consider legal action too if the claims of “bribery” are repeated.
Because, as some ask rhetorically, “how much political civility can the current Maximos Mansion take?”.
Implying that Mr Georgiadis did not make his move without the prime minister’s team knowing…
TSIPRAS II: As for the other questions about Mr Tsipras’s presence at the large demonstration in Paris on Friday, despite not attending… protests at home, his associates explain, first, that he did not travel to the French capital to be photographed on the streets with protesters, but to meet figures from the progressive camp — and it was in that context that he also took to “the streets”.
Second, they say, he has attended large rallies in Athens, including those over Tempi.
“And he will do so again,” his interlocutors say, noting that… the list of domestic protests over problems created and perpetuated by the government, such as the high cost of living and corruption, is not closed.
We shall see. November, after all, is a month that lends itself to large-scale rallies because of the anniversary of the Polytechnic uprising…
One detail: On corruption in particular, after acknowledging the tough measures his government took to get the country out of the bailout programmes, Mr Tsipras stressed: “under our government, every last euro went into public coffers to get the country out of the crisis; it did not go into our pockets”…
PENSIONS: The European Commission’s report added to the anxiety of workers aged 60 and over. It said that, under the current legal framework, the government would have to raise the retirement age — from 67 to 68 in 2030 — because of the ageing population.
Kostas Tsoukalas, the PASOK spokesman and a labour-law specialist, did not let the issue drop. During a televised public discussion, he asked New Democracy representative Alexandra Sdoukou to clarify whether the government planned to raise the retirement age.
“The relevant ministry should be asked,” came the reply… fuelling speculation on the issue.
The government had everything it needed ahead of the election; this was the last thing it needed…
OTE: Eurobank Equities views as negative for the company reports that the Alafouzos camp has won the tender for the television rights to European football competitions for the 2027-2031 period.
The brokerage says the key question now is how the new market entrant will distribute its content, including whether it will be offered exclusively or through agreements with established platforms.
The implications for OTE are clearly negative, it says, as the loss of premium European football content would threaten subscriber retention, pricing power and the competitive position of COSMOTE TV.
Even if OTE secured continued access to the content through a distribution deal, that would entail a cost, while a new competitor controlling such valuable content could significantly shift the balance in Greece’s pay-TV market.
On the market, however, the shares took the news in their stride, falling just 0.58% to €18.78 despite broader pressure on the market.
HELLENIQ ENERGY: Optima Bank expects HelleniQ Energy to post record profitability in the third quarter of 2026, with an exceptionally favourable refining environment set to drive adjusted EBITDA to €952m, up 161% year on year. Adjusted net profit is forecast at €622m, compared with €149m in the same period of 2025.
High refining margins are playing a decisive role, averaging $29.50 a barrel, compared with $8.40 in the third quarter of 2025 and $9 in the second quarter of 2026. Optima estimates that refining will contribute adjusted EBITDA of €842m, while marketing is expected to add €65m and petrochemicals €11m.
For the first nine months, adjusted EBITDA is estimated at €1.686bn, up 120%, while adjusted net profit is forecast at €1.054bn.
The brokerage also expects an interim dividend of €0.30 a share, up 50% year on year, and a reduction of about €500m in net debt during the quarter, to €1.5bn.
Optima forecasts some moderation in refining margins in the fourth quarter, but expects them to remain well above mid-cycle levels.
It adds that it will revisit its forecasts after the results are announced, with upgraded estimates for 2026 and subsequent years, and potentially a new price target. Its current target of €12.90 is under review, with the market already valuing the shares at around €16.
ALTER EGO MEDIA: The listed company’s decision to separate its broadcasting business from content production and IP rights management is attracting particular interest from investors.
The move not only highlights the value of one of the group’s strongest assets, MEGA’s historic film archive, but also strengthens the company’s positioning as a Content & Entertainment group.
As one market analyst noted, from 1 January 2027 the financial results of the Content Creation & IP Rights and Broadcasting businesses are to be presented separately, allowing the market to value them independently.
The significance is clear: according to the analyst, content businesses can be valued at multiples of 12-14 times EBITDA, compared with six to seven times for broadcasting.
In other words, the conditions are being created for a sum-of-the-parts valuation that could unlock significant value and lead to a reassessment of Alter Ego Media’s overall market value, without necessarily changing the group’s total profitability.
TITAN: Friday marked the second day of a sharp correction in the shares, following the announcement of nine-month results on Thursday morning and the generally negative market mood.
The group posted weaker-than-expected results in the third quarter of 2026, with EBITDA at €169.8m, down 9% year on year and about 3% below estimates. This implied an EBITDA margin of 22.1%, down 5.2 percentage points year on year and one percentage point below forecasts.
As the column noted on Friday, the EBITDA shortfall was concentrated mainly in the US, where an outage at a plant in Virginia, adverse weather in Florida and higher input costs weighed on profitability.
Importantly, management revised its full-year 2026 guidance and now expects high-single-digit sales growth and mid-single-digit EBITDA growth. The 2026 capital expenditure (capex) forecast was also lowered to about €300m from €300m-€350m previously, Eurobank Equities notes.
The shares closed at €45.70, down 3.18%. Their low stands at €43.50, recorded on 27 March.
LASKARIDIS: Thanassis Laskaridis is ordering more crude oil tankers while also expanding his presence in the product tanker market through Laskaridis Tankers.
The company has ordered four newbuild tankers from China’s Hengli Shipbuilding. They comprise two LR2s with a capacity of 114,000 dwt, due for delivery in 2028, and two Suezmax vessels expected in mid-2029. The latter are estimated to cost close to $92m each.
Company executives told TradeWinds that the LR2s will strengthen its presence in the clean petroleum products market, while the Suezmax vessels mark a return to crude tankers following the particularly profitable resale of the two VLCCs Las Palmas and Hyde Park I, which it had ordered at the same shipyard.
Laskaridis Tankers already has five MR2s and five LR2s, and a total of ten vessels under construction.
STEFANOU: Brothers Dimitris and Giorgos Stefanou have acquired another Capesize — the newest and one of the largest in their fleet — reaffirming their positive outlook for the dry bulk market.
According to shipbroking sources cited by TradeWinds, the two Greek shipowners have agreed to buy the William Oldendorff (179,100 dwt, built in 2017) from Germany’s Oldendorff Carriers for $49m. The vessel is fitted with a scrubber and is expected to be delivered to its new owners in March.
The price is slightly below the $50.7m valuation by VesselsValue, probably because the vessel is due for a special survey.
The Stefanou brothers, who operate through Bright Navigation and Sea Gate Navigation, control a total of 25 second-hand bulk carriers, including four other Capesizes.
MARINAKIS: Capital Tankers, owned by Evangelos Marinakis, has agreed to charter the newbuild Suezmax Amor in a deal with estimated total revenues of between $73m and $82m.
The Oslo-listed company said the 155,400 dwt vessel, built in 2026, had been delivered by China’s New Times Shipbuilding. It is fitted with a dual-fuel system and a scrubber. The charterer is an international energy group whose identity has not been disclosed.
The charter begins in November. Its duration has not been disclosed, and the deal is subject to the charterer’s approval.
The agreement comes amid limited activity in long-term crude carrier charters, with Braemar estimating daily earnings of $180,000 for modern scrubber-fitted Suezmax vessels on one-year charters.
Capital Tankers has a fleet of 33 vessels, with a further 16 under construction for delivery in 2027-2028.