Stagnation prevails today (23/12) on the Athens Stock Exchange, as investors have slowed down, affected by the festive climate and the consecutive Christmas holidays.

Besides, the Greek market is just 3+1 sessions away from the end of 2024, which is preparing to bid us farewell with a double-digit return of +12%, continuing the prolonged rally of the "green" 4-year period (2021 - 2024) and "holding" the milestone of 1,450 points.

Specifically, in the last session before Christmas, the General Index rose slightly by 0.18% to 1,455.13 points, gaining 2.5 points compared to Friday's close (1,452.50 points).

The arc of daily fluctuations extends to six points (from 1,450.78 to 1,456.40 points), with the turnover of transactions ranging at 3.5 million in the first 10 minutes.

The banking index, which is gaining almost +22% through 2024, is rushing to absorb the gains, resulting in -0.50% and 1,288 points.

NBG's shares retreat -0.56% and 7.796 euros, Eurobank shares follow at -0.13% and 2.247 euros, Piraeus shares trade +0.41% and 3.907 euros, while Alpha shares rise +0.63% and 1.5895 euros.

In the high-cap index (+0.21% and 3,544 points), Viohalco's share stands out at +2% and 5.3 euros, with the shares of Aegean, PPC and Cenergy climbing around +1%. Optima Bank's shares, which are premiering in blue chips today, widen to +1.2% and 12.7 euros. On the other hand, Motor Oil shares slip -1.2% and EUR 20.3, due to the cut-off of the EUR 0.30 preference dividend.