“Red Maria,” Alexis’s dusks & SYRIZA’s money, the blue (permanent) secretary, PPC’s success story & the Holy Women’s Hermitage

Hello, arsenic I told you yesterday, we are entering a precise absorbing week, opening with President Maria, who has already made her determination and whom my malicious colleagues person started calling “Red Maria” — though not due to the fact that she’s a die-hard Olympiacos protagonist (maybe she is, but being from Thessaloniki, she looks much similar idiosyncratic bitter astir football). There is simply a beardown Russian constituent astir her (even adjacent to her), sprinkled with monasteries, anti-vaxxers, and members of Niki. My root told maine she was asked astir it and replied: “Let them speech astir Russians and each that… we are patriots; we’ll sermon everything successful item connected Thursday.” We await this anxiously; I ideate those successful neighboring governmental spaces to Maria, specified arsenic Velopoulos and small Zoe, volition besides beryllium waiting anxiously. One absorbing item astir Maria K., however, is that by checking the GEMI registry you observe she maintains a tiny loss-making tourism institution with a man who has a precise affluent past and adjacent ties to Russia. Mr. Giannis Moysidis “in 2011 was a non-executive subordinate of the Board of Directors of the Russian State Satellite Services Provider NIS GLONASS (the Russian GPS system)” and was successful information the lone non-Russian national there. Indeed.

Alexis astatine dusk
Leaving President Maria behind, we determination to beloved Alexis, who, I’m told, aft waiting a time for the Final Four excitement to chill down, volition denote his enactment connected Tuesday, May 26. The root says this volition hap successful Thiseio, astatine dusk — due to the fact that our president is besides a romantic. Just to beryllium safe, the setup volition beryllium much of a semi-standing arrangement, truthful we don’t again person unusual incidents involving balconies and chairs. There volition beryllium 1 and lone 1 speaker: Alexis.

SYRIZA and the money…
In SYRIZA they are present reasoning astir their aboriginal successful assorted ways, but determination is different parameter successful the equation: money. SYRIZA receives the authorities backing allocated to the authoritative opposition, adjacent though the magnitude was reduced aft 2023 due to the fact that of its electoral percentage. They negociate their affairs with this money, and by virtuousness of being a governmental enactment they besides person media outlets. In particular, the enactment vigor presumption Sto Kokkino 105.5 operates connected the ground that SYRIZA is simply a enactment and truthful entitled to a license. I punctual you that precocious the Council of State blocked the transportation of the frequence that LAOS had been entitled to arsenic a parliamentary party. Thus, portion SYRIZA members whitethorn accidental they privation to spell with Tsipras, connected the 1 manus Tsipras does not privation them arsenic a party, and connected the different their obligations whitethorn pb them to bash the unthinkable and tally independently astatine slightest successful the archetypal election.

The ND caput aft Holy Spirit Monday
In New Democracy they are watching each these developments aft the legislature that PASOK held this past weekend. The unresolved contented remaining is that of the caller enactment secretary, and I’m told Mitsotakis is having 2nd thoughts successful general. While it seemed that Giorgos Stylios was favored, Mitsotakis is re-examining his alternatives — adjacent whether the caput should beryllium an MP. He volition determine wrong the adjacent 10 days, arsenic the Political Committee that volition name the caput volition convene aft Holy Spirit Monday. One script presently successful play is that the interim caput Stelios Kontadakis whitethorn go permanent; though helium is caput for organizational matters, helium besides took implicit moving the enactment aft Skrekas’s resignation.

The briefing connected Greek-Turkish relations
At the commencement of yesterday’s KYSEA meeting, whose main taxable was defence procurement, Gerapetritis gave a wide briefing connected the warfare successful Iran, the Middle East, and Turkey, fixed that the neighboring state is signaling it volition legislate the “Blue Homeland” doctrine. Obviously this does not delight us, but to immoderate grade it is expected aft our ain moves successful the tract involving drilling, Maritime Spatial Planning, and marine parks. Gerapetritis analyzed the concern with the logic that we should hold and spot what emerges, since the leaks from Ankara are intelligibly intended to trial the waters and gauge our reaction.

Papastergiou connected drones
Since I’m inactive connected the KYSEA topic, fto maine archer you that the league had 1 absentee, Plevris, who was astatine the MED9 Summit successful Croatia, and 1 guest, Dimitris Papastergiou, who gave participants a elaborate briefing connected the National Drone Strategy that volition statesman to beryllium implemented this twelvemonth with a skyline extending to 2030.

Pierrakakis astatine the G7
Undoubtedly, the beingness of a Greek typical astatine a G7 acme is not precisely communal — successful fact, it had ne'er happened earlier yesterday. Pierrakakis made the debut Monday successful Paris, wherever successful his capableness arsenic president of the Eurogroup helium sat astatine the array with concern ministers and cardinal bankers from the world’s 7 largest economies. Although what is discussed successful the country is not made public, I perceive the docket covered each existent developments: from the Strait of Hormuz to Artificial Intelligence — all, naturally, successful narration to the economy. The assessments made regarding the war, from what I heard, were not particularly optimistic.

PPC raises the bar
And present to marketplace news, opening with the occurrence communicative of PPC’s €5 cardinal superior increase. Demand is impressively high, to the constituent that they regret not having asked for much superior from the outset. Since that cannot beryllium changed afterward, each indications constituent to an summation successful the offering terms of the caller shares. Whereas the archetypal plans acceptable the precocious terms scope astatine €18.5, the barroom is present moving to €19.75. All of this besides explains yesterday’s +2.38% emergence successful PPC’s stock terms — which closed astatine €20.22 — during a hard banal marketplace session.

Mylonas No. 1 (on the statement with Allianz)
The timeline for the statement with Allianz was presented by National Bank CEO P. Mylonas during a gathering with journalists. As helium said, the lawyers are reviewing the applicable declaration connection by word, and helium attributed the hold — among different things — to the information that Allianz initially did not privation to assistance information to National Bank, which is acquiring 30%. Allianz was chosen aft a competitory process and was preferred not lone due to the fact that of its planetary value successful the sector, but besides due to the fact that of the technological systems it possesses, which volition let National Bank to utilize each the caller and innovative products of the German radical without delay. He said that Piraeus Bank has clip until the extremity of the twelvemonth to resoluteness the bankassurance issues created by its acquisition of Ethniki Asfalistiki, with the declaration allowing enactment to beryllium extended for an further 3 months. Allianz products, helium concluded, volition beryllium disposable done National Bank’s web successful the archetypal 4th of 2027, portion helium predicted the bank’s revenues from the concern would summation from €20 cardinal to €80 million.

Mylonas No. 2 (on acquisitions, cyberattacks, stablecoins, Saudi Arabia)
“We are looking,” was P. Mylonas’s reply to a question astir a imaginable acquisition overseas by National Bank, clarifying that the involvement concerns the full spectrum of the fiscal assemblage — banks, communal funds, wealthiness management, etc. This weekend, the National Bank CEO added, the bank’s caller halfway banking strategy volition beryllium completed, an concern that makes National Bank the Greek slope with the newest and astir modern IT system, adding that competitors’ systems are astatine slightest 30 years old. Elsewhere successful his remarks, Mylonas said that cyberattacks are present a superior interest for the banking system, adding that a large-scale onslaught could adjacent pb to a reshuffling of the banking market, with regulators imposing a merger if a slope is incapable to respond to lawsuit demands. He besides said that National Bank is moving to enactment successful the Qivalis Venture consortium, made up of 12 large European banks, with the purpose of issuing a euro-linked stablecoin. Regarding the licence National Bank has requested from Saudi Arabian authorities, helium said helium is awaiting approval, that the extremity is to enactment alongside overseas banks successful syndicated loans to large authorities enterprises, and that depending connected developments the slope whitethorn displacement its absorption if necessary.

A travel and weddings worthy €5 billion
Another slope CEO, Eurobank’s F. Karavias, was packing his bags yesterday arsenic helium departs contiguous for Mumbai successful bid to inaugurate the bank’s subdivision determination this coming Thursday. The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, volition besides attend, arsenic the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) volition beryllium cardinal to the visit. Eurobank is attempting to play a starring relation successful the commercialized agreements linked to this corridor, and for that crushed it is activating India’s UPI outgo strategy successful Greece, making the state the archetypal European authorities that volition nonstop remittances via UPI. Little needs to beryllium said astir India’s economical scale, arsenic Eurobank’s CEO — speaking astatine the SETE wide assembly — mentioned that yearly spending connected Indian weddings held overseas unsocial amounts to $5 billion.

Where there’s Giannis, there’s golden (the Bank of Chania’s Athens contacts)
It appears that Giannis Michos, enforcement advisor of the Cooperative Bank of Chania, is stepping into the spotlight. Especially present that the slope is obtaining a nationwide license, galore things indispensable change. It is recalled that the Bank of Greece gave the greenish airy to the 4 cooperative banks of Karditsa, Epirus (which has already go a corporation), Chania, and Thessaly to get nationwide licenses. The Cooperative Bank of Chania, which volition germinate into a corporation, is moving up nether choky timelines imposed by the Bank of Greece successful bid to code its non-performing indebtedness contented done plus management. After all, it owns important spot assets crossed galore sectors and tin usage them to screen immoderate superior shortfall created by the NPE simplification project. In this context, Michos is successful Athens holding meetings with stakeholders and media representatives. It is noteworthy, however, that for the archetypal clip Giannis Michos appears to person the ascendant dependable connected these matters implicit the bank’s president M. Marakakis.

Resilience contempt the Middle East
For the archetypal clip successful astir 14 months, Aegean’s stock terms closed yesterday beneath €11 (€10.84), chiefly due to the fact that of concerns implicit the interaction of the crisp emergence successful substance costs and the effects of ostentation connected households, abrogation expenses, etc. Today, aft the adjacent of the Athens Stock Exchange session, Aegean volition denote its Q1 2026 results, a play that partially incorporates the interaction of the warfare successful Iran since hostilities began connected February 28. Analysts nevertheless expect a beardown acceptable of results, with revenues expanding by 4.5% year-on-year to €320 million; EBITDA is expected astatine €46 million, up 5%, portion the EBITDA borderline is expected to stay fundamentally unchangeable astatine 14.4%. However, during the 4th the stronger dollar volition chiefly impact the bottommost enactment of the equilibrium sheet. What demonstrates Aegean’s resilience, however, is that connected an operational level the cardinal indicators look to beryllium improving. Available spot kilometers (ASKs) are estimated astatine 4.3 million, up 4.9% year-on-year, portion full disposable seats are expected to emergence 3.8% to 4 million. Passenger postulation is expected to summation by 4.4% to 3.2 cardinal passengers, with the load origin remaining resilient astatine 80.6%, unchanged compared to the aforesaid play past year. Aegean, meanwhile, does not miss opportunities and continues its strategy of web enlargement with caller planetary routes (Bari, Paphos, Rotterdam, and Casablanca) and home ones, caller codeshare agreements with Air China, portion the gradual resumption of flights to Tel Aviv, Riyadh, and Amman is progressively limiting the interaction from impermanent formation suspensions successful the Middle East.

Bank of Cyprus: emergence contempt banking-sector pressure
Bank of Cyprus displayed singular reflexes during yesterday’s session, managing to instrumentality to upward momentum and putting an extremity to a streak of 4 consecutive declining sessions. The banal afloat diverged from the prevailing temper successful the sector, signaling gains portion home systemic banks were nether unit and posting losses. Through this rebound, the banal maintained interaction with the historical €10 mark, a level that constitutes a beardown intelligence and method threshold. The marketplace show is straight linked to the bank’s caller first-quarter fiscal results, which confirmed the preservation of precocious integrated profitability and beardown superior ratios. At the aforesaid time, the caller wide assembly “sealed” the organisation of a important dividend, functioning arsenic a dependable root of buying involvement from organization portfolios. For analysts, Bank of Cyprus’s quality to determination independently and sorb assemblage shocks highlights the distinctive features of its concern narrative. Its charismatic dividend output and wide gross visibility marque it a benignant of “safe haven” wrong the banking board. The attraction of valuations adjacent historical highs suggests that the banal remains among the apical choices of planetary superior seeking stableness and precocious returns.

When Greek shipowners work the satellite representation first
There are periods erstwhile Greek-owned shipping seems to run similar an autarkic mechanics of geopolitical forecasting. Before governments determine connected strategies, earlier planetary organizations decode the caller balances, Greek ships person already changed course. 2025 was specified a year, and 2026 is pursuing successful its footsteps with the warfare successful the Persian Gulf. According to an absorbing investigation by Lloyd’s List Intelligence, past twelvemonth — with the Red Sea successful flames due to the fact that of the Houthis, the Suez Canal losing portion of its commercialized normality, and vigor flows being rewritten from scratch — Greek shipowners proved that they stay possibly the country’s astir flexible and politically astute concern sector. It is nary coincidence that portion large Western companies remained cautious, Greek-owned vessels gradually began returning to the Red Sea, weighing hazard and nett differently. Nor is it accidental that accrued enactment successful markets specified arsenic Saudi Arabia, India, oregon adjacent Syria came agelong earlier the West had afloat restored governmental comfortableness toward those regions. Greek shipping continues to beryllium considered a captious origin not lone for the system but besides for the country’s planetary influence. The numbers corroborate it. Greek tankers benefited from the caller geography of oil, portion bulk carriers remained the unseen unit down planetary raw-material flows. Greek shipowners avoided flashy moves and preferred what they cognize best: changing presumption astatine the close moment, without noise. And possibly therein lies the top governmental involvement of the matter. At a clip erstwhile Europe is seeking caller strategical autonomy and the United States is redrawing its commercialized priorities, Greek-owned shipping appears to beryllium acquiring a relation acold greater than its constrictive concern footprint.

The backstage of the adjacent time astatine the ports
For years, Piraeus and Thessaloniki were treated much arsenic competitors than arsenic 2 links successful the aforesaid nationalist larboard chain. The caller geo-economic reality, however, seems to beryllium changing the landscape, and possibly for the archetypal clip the country’s 2 large ports are being called upon to run complementarily successful a overmuch larger crippled that extends beyond Greece’s borders. The beingness of some ports astatine the caller Mare MED III Conference Athens 2026 was thing but accidental. Piraeus, with its peculiar value successful planetary maritime transport, is attempting to unafraid a cardinal relation successful the caller commercialized corridors being shaped betwixt Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Against the backdrop of geopolitical reshuffling, unit connected accepted oversea routes, and the treatment surrounding the IMEC (India–Middle East–Europe Corridor), the country’s largest larboard wants to stay a main gateway into Europe. At the aforesaid time, Thessaloniki appears to beryllium acquiring a much autonomous and strategical role. The anticipation of connecting with Israel successful little than 48 hours has not gone unnoticed by marketplace participants. Thessaloniki is present openly investing successful the communicative of becoming a logistics gateway for the Balkans, seeking entree to a marketplace of tens of millions of consumers. The existent constituent of interest, however, lies elsewhere: whether the government, investors, and planetary players recognize that the caller epoch cannot beryllium built done fragmented moves, but done a unified strategy for ports, railways, and logistics. In immoderate case, backstage developments bespeak that planetary maneuvering astir Greek ports volition intensify successful the coming period.

Latsco astatine NTUA for the caller procreation of executives
The beingness of Latsco Marine Management astatine the NTUA Career Day tin hardly beryllium considered accidental. The determination of the institution of Marianna Latsis and Paris Kassidokostas-Latsis to beryllium contiguous alongside dozens of businesses carries a wide message. The caller procreation is present astatine the halfway of attention. The involvement goes beyond a emblematic career-event participation. On the contrary, it is portion of a broader question being recorded successful Greek shipping, with large names turning successful a much organized mode toward universities and young engineers. Shipping, which traditionally operated done much “closed” networks, appears to beryllium turning a page, seeking endowment with modern skills and a antithetic perspective.

The “Holy Women’s Hermitage” makes a comeback successful auctions
The “Holy Women’s Hermitage of the Resurrection of Christ,” with the peculiar rubric “Emmaus,” made a rather… awesome comeback connected the physics auction level aft galore months of absence. I punctual you that the “Holy Hermitage,” based successful Agios Vasileios, Lagadas, Thessaloniki, and specifically immoderate of its people, were thing but… quiescent successful the past, turning it into a benignant of tiny real-estate concern company. In caller years, however, galore of its properties person been enactment up for auction. Thus, connected May 27, doValue is proceeding with an auction for a ground-floor commercialized spot successful Polygyros, Halkidiki, measuring 614.37 quadrate meters, and different for the basement of the aforesaid property, measuring 480 quadrate meters, with starting bids of €270,000 and €75,000 respectively — €345,000 successful total. Now, this spot is not conscionable immoderate property: it houses aesculapian offices, waiting areas, and administrative services of IKA (now EFKA), portion the basement serves arsenic retention space. You see, those who carried retired real-estate concern ventures nether the “banner” of the Hermitage did not take properties astatine random. The applicable “list” included assorted commercialized assets, residential complexes with villas and swimming pools, and dozens of plots of cultivation land. The commercialized properties were usually leased to… bully tenants specified arsenic the Greek state. In fact, the astir “popular” among them was the multi-story gathering connected Metsovou Street successful Athens that formerly housed the Tax Office for Overseas Residents. It went up for auction successful March 2022 with a starting bid of €1,872,000 and was awarded for precisely 2 euros more, astatine €1,872,002. Other properties from the “list” person been sold successful the aforesaid manner, portion galore inactive stay and are being re-auctioned. Among them are rights to 15 tiny and larger cultivation plots successful the Asvestochori country of the Pylaia-Chortiatis municipality, successful the determination “Orliak Tsesme.” These are scheduled to beryllium auctioned connected June 17, again initiated by doValue, with prices ranging from €1,950 to €18,500. To concisely revisit the story, this “Holy Women’s Hermitage of the Resurrection of Christ” became peculiarly good known successful the past aft “shadows” emerged regarding the acquisition of its existent property holdings, with the lawsuit reaching the courts. Thus, successful 2015 six individuals — 3 monks and 3 laypeople — stood proceedings connected charges of fraud and embezzlement, repeatedly, against the Holy Monastery, arsenic good arsenic wealth laundering from transgression activities. According to the indictment, they were accused of purchasing plots of onshore with debased nonsubjective worth during the play 1994–2008 connected behalf of the Hermitage done excessive loans taken retired successful the names of believers and friends of the monastery. Reference was made to 29 indebtedness agreements and unlawful fiscal summation amounting to €28 million. In fact, successful 2007 they were allegedly progressive successful founding an offshore institution successful Liberia that guaranteed a €35 cardinal indebtedness for the payment of the Hermitage. Nevertheless, successful February 2019 the Three-Member Court of Appeal for Felonies successful Thessaloniki unanimously acquitted those progressive successful the case, ruling that the felony charges had not been proven… The auction hammer, however, continues to autumn to this day.

Inauguration successful Schimatari
Early this greeting the premier curate volition question to Schimatari to officially inaugurate Coca-Cola Three Epsilon’s caller accumulation line. Coca-Cola 3E created a caller PET accumulation enactment astatine the Mega-Plant successful Schimatari, and naturally, successful summation to the Prime Minister, the apical hierarchy of the Coca-Cola HBC Group volition beryllium there: Anastasis David, CEO Zoran Bogdanovic, and COO Nagia Kalogeraki. The concern is portion of the company’s ambitious superior expenditure program. Capital expenditures amounted to €43.9 cardinal successful 2025, with accent connected modernizing accumulation facilities. Naturally, the investments are being made with the company’s ain funds, and Coca-Cola 3E continues to support zero slope borrowing. Schimatari volition relation arsenic the bosom of accumulation for 11 countries, with 17 accumulation lines operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. With the caller PET line, export capableness is being further strengthened for markets wherever request exceeds section production, from Germany to Romania and Serbia.

Trastor: deviations and solutions
Despite the celebratory ambiance astatine the opening of the trading session, Trastor’s banal suffered during the archetypal trading time of the 217 cardinal caller shares issued successful the €150 cardinal superior increase, offered astatine €1 per stock and oversubscribed 1.45 times. Tasos Kazinos rang the bell, but the escaped interval was acceptable astatine 16%, somewhat beneath management’s target. This is wherefore scenarios person already begun circulating astir however to summation the escaped interval to 20% without reducing the beardown presumption of the main shareholder, Piraeus Bank. The solution whitethorn travel from the 3 bureau buildings of Ethniki Asfalistiki successful downtown Athens. Total concern cost: €55 million, with an mean output of 8%. Piraeus Bank holds properties connected its equilibrium expanse that represent a superior burden. One of them, the landmark Ethniki Asfalistiki gathering connected Syngrou Avenue, could service arsenic an “in-kind contribution” to Trastor’s stock capital. If statement is reached connected the property’s valuation — which is not considered particularly hard — the Ethniki Asfalistiki gathering changes the mathematical equation of the company.

The large concern down a visit
When President Trump began his travel to Beijing, analysts said helium was funny successful the “three Bs”: Beans, Boeing, Bitcoin. Food, airplanes, and cryptocurrencies. The archetypal appraisal from the archetypal sojourn of an American president to China since 2017 is highly interesting. The bundle of agreements has 4 pillars. First, 200 Boeing craft for Chinese airlines, representing the archetypal committedness by China to acquisition American craft since 2017. Second, cultivation products worthy astatine slightest $17 cardinal annually for the play 2026–2028, beyond already agreed soybean contracts. These 2 commitments unneurotic magnitude to astir $27 cardinal annually, up from the $24.4 cardinal successful American cultivation exports to China recorded successful 2024. Third, China loosened entree restrictions to uncommon earths (yttrium, scandium, neodymium, indium), the minerals President Xi had tightly held arsenic a bargaining weapon. Fourth, determination was a communal statement to restart commercialized successful beef and poultry. The information is that Beijing has not publically confirmed the rare-earths agreement. There is lone the American side’s announcement that “China volition code U.S. concerns regarding restrictions connected uncommon earths.” Boeing officially confirmed China’s “initial commitment” for the 200 aircraft, stating that it “expects further commitments to travel this archetypal declaration.” One happening is certain: President Xi volition sojourn the White House successful the fall.

The concealed of the Hindenburg Indicator
James Miekka was a unsighted mathematician who ne'er studied finance. He taught physics until helium mislaid his show successful an detonation during an experiment. Lying successful symptom successful his bed, helium listened to vigor broadcasts astir stock-market investing. From those broadcasts emerged 1 of the astir discussed indicators successful method analysis. The sanction “Hindenburg Omen” was fixed by Kennedy Gammage of the Richland Report and refers to the demolition of the German airship connected May 6, 1937. Metaphorically, the “Hindenburg” indicator attempts to pass of the unexpected, the sudden, and the inevitable. The “Hindenburg” awesome is activated erstwhile some caller 52-week highs and caller 52-week lows connected the New York Stock Exchange transcend 2.8% of the full fig of stocks advancing oregon declining connected the aforesaid day. A prerequisite for the indicator to relation is that the marketplace indispensable already beryllium successful an upward trend. That is the paradox of the indicator: it emits a information awesome not successful declining markets, but successful rising ones, erstwhile a information of stocks begins to diverge from the broader euphoria. The indicator “predicted” the 1987 clang and the 2008 fiscal crisis. Between October and November 2025, 5 “Hindenburg” signals were recorded and the marketplace ignored them. In February 2026, 3 caller “Hindenburg” signals appeared wrong six trading sessions. Today, stocks are celebrating, bonds are suffering, and with Brent crude supra $110, analysts are looking again astatine the indicator. Many constituent retired that its statistical reliability is nary greater than 25%. The Hindenburg Omen is not a prophecy; it is smoke. Smoke does not ever mean fire. But it does mean that somewhere, thing is burning.