Greek Daily News 05/06/2024

ECONOMY

-The Greek economic climate saw an uptick in May, with the index rising to 111 points from 108.8 points in April, according to the Foundation for Economic & Industrial Research (IOBE). The survey added that the improvement came from the business sectors, while the consumer confidence index is declining.

-Greece’s commercial banks are offering special housing programs aimed at young people up to 40 years of age, with the aim of facilitating their purchase or renovation of a home, Kathimerini reported.

-In the first quarter of 2024, the turnover of TGR in legal gambling (OPAP, lotteries, racecourse, Internet, casino) reached 10.85 billion euros from 9.51 billion euros in the corresponding period of 2023, according to the data of the Hellenic Gaming Commission.

-The European Central Bank (ECB) has given its approval for Greece’ s Eurobank to acquire a majority stake of over 50% in Cypriot Hellenic Bank. Eurobank now holds a commanding 55.3% share of Hellenic Bank’s capital.

-The uniform yield of the new 52-week T-bills auctioned by the Hellenic Republic on Wednesday dropped to 3.34%, down from 3.73% at the previous auction in May, according to the Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA). The total bids reached 1.147 billion euros, with a coverage ratio of 2.29 the asked sum of 500 million euros, and the amount finally accepted was 600 million euros, AMNA reported.

SHIPPING

The third day of the Posidonia international shipping exhibition at the Athens Metropolitan Expo center features a wide array of conferences and seminars. Highlights include: The HELMEPA conference, the 4th Korean-Hellenic Maritime Cooperation Forum, as well as seminars by Shanghai Qiyao Environmental Technology, BIMCO, Lalizas, DNV, DANELEC, Telematic Medical Application, Green-Jakobsen, RINA, CMA D. Argoudelis & Co, WISTA Hellas, Danica Crewing Specialists and Ocean Technologies Group, Damen, SNAME Greek Section, ADMIE and SQLearn.

REAL ESTATE

From the start of the year to end-April 14,054 property sale contracts were signed, totaling 1.16 billion euros, according to data from the Real Estate Transfer Values Registry. The Municipality of Athens led in property sales, with 2,035 properties changing hands.

TOURISM

-A special event titled “50 Great Greek Wines (50 GGW) Goes Big in London” took place on May 29 in London, under the auspices of the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) with the aim to promote Greek wines to a targeted audience in the British market.

-Athens International Airport recorded an increase of 18.5% in passengers traffic in May 2024 compared to the same month last year. In the first five months of the year, the airport’s traffic reached 10.71 million passengers, up 17%.