Daily Market Highlights (01.10.12)

  • The MSE Share Index kicked off the fourth quarter of this year on a positive note with a further 0.2% rise to yet another 10-month high of 3,141.318 points following increases in the share prices of IHI, Farsons and RS2 Software. On the other hand, HSBC and BOV traded lower whilst GO and MaltaPost ended this morning’s session unchanged.
  • On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index edged minimally lower to 997.319 points as eurozone benchmark yields continued to hover around 1.46%. The 5.7% MGS 2012 was redeemed yesterday with the Treasury affecting payments of over €268 million to all bondholders.
  • The share price of RS2 Software jumped by 15.4% to a new multi-year high of €0.60 following the announcement of a new licence agreement for Latin America with a value of € 5 million. A total of 10,000 shares changed hands today with further shares remaining on offer at this level.
  • IHI shares also performed positively with a 2.2% rise to €0.92 across seven trades totalling 35,371 shares.
  • Likewise, Simonds Farsons Cisk saw its share price edge closer towards its all-time high but activity was limited to only 200 shares. The equity was active for the first time since the publication of the half-year results last week and the share price gained 4.6% to €2.30 reflecting the 45% jump in profitability to €3.8 million in the first half of the current financial year ending 31 January 2013. Further details on results available here.
  • BOV‘s share price partially recovered from an intra-day low of €2.20 to close at the €2.25 level which still represents a 0.7% drop from the previous close.
  • The equity of HSBC slid by 1.1% to €2.70 across three trades totalling 9,296 shares.
  • GO was unchanged today at the €0.95 on volumes of 8,125 shares. Last Friday evening, the Directors of GO explained that they will be postponing their decision on whether to participate in Forthnet’s upcoming €30 million rights issue to such time when the Greek company will issue the relevant Prospectus containing all the details.
  • The only other active equity, MaltaPost, held on to the €0.70 level across 22,000 shares. Last week marked the end of the postal operator’s financial year. MaltaPost’s full-year results, generally published in December, are expected to reflect a similar downturn as that reported in the first half of the year due to the adverse impact from the changes in the imposed cross-border tariffs of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).