The Athens Stock Exchange closed sharply lower on Monday, with mounting global economic concerns and renewed fears of a U.S. recession prompting a wave of broad-based sell-offs. Investor sentiment was rattled by escalating trade tensions and uncertainty over potential new tariffs from the Trump administration, casting a shadow over international markets.
The benchmark General Index dropped 2.91% to 1,685.24 points, finishing near the session’s lows. Turnover surged to €266.5 million, though just €21.96 million of that came from block trades. Market breadth was decisively negative, with 106 stocks posting losses versus only 24 gainers.
Banking shares bore the brunt of the decline, with the sector index plunging 4.71% to 1,586.49 points. The blue-chip FTSE 25 fell 3.45%, while the mid-cap index shed 2.46%.
Stocks that had outperformed in recent months were particularly targeted for profit-taking. Piraeus Bank tumbled 6.52% to €5.048 on heavy volume of €43.1 million, while Alpha Bank fell 5.98% to €2.20. Eurobank and National Bank also posted losses of over 3%. Other notable decliners included Metlen (-5.58%), Stassinopoulos Group companies, Motor Oil (-3.5%), and GEK TERNA (-3.32%).
With uncertainty dominating the global economic landscape, the Greek market is now searching for new support levels. Attention is focused on geopolitical developments and the forthcoming policy moves by major central banks and governments. Despite the recent pressures, the Athens Exchange remains on solid footing, having closed the quarter with some of its strongest performance in years.
