U.S. and British investors bought the bulk of Alpha Bank's 1.2 billion euro ($1.65 billion) new share issue, providing further evidence that foreign investors are warming to Reuters reports.

Piraeus Metropolitan Serapheim is urging shipowner and Olympiakos FC president Vangelis Marinakis to run for mayor of Piraeus. Mr Marinakis, whose father had been on the city council is seriously contemplating running, with Petros Kokkalis the son of the former Olympiakos owner, on his ticket.

A poll carried out by the ALCO company and published in the newspaper Proto Thema shows the New Democracy party slightly ahead of the main opposition Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA).