Daily Market Highlights (03.02.15)

  • Eight out of the twelve active equities closed unchanged during this morning’s session whilst the other four trended marginally higher resulting in an overall minimal increase in the MSE Share Index to yet another new 9-month high of 3,431.898 points. Download a copy of the Equity Market Summary.
  • On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index was practically unchanged at 1,129.123 points despite a rebound in eurozone benchmark yields to 0.33% on hopes that Greece will manage to secure a new deal with its creditors in a bid to restructure its debt.
  • In the banking sector, Bank of Valletta plc held on to the €2.10 level across eleven deals totalling 18,785 shares ahead of the Interim Directors’ Statements which is generally published by mid-February.
  • Similarly, HSBC Bank Malta plc maintained the €2.03 level on lower volumes of 7,460 shares. The Bank is scheduled to publish its 2014 financial statements on 23 February.
  • The equity of FIMBank plc closed again at its all-time low of USD0.50 as 9,600 shares changed hands today.
  • Lombard Bank Malta plc maintained the €1.92 level after recovering from an intra-day low of €1.90 on shallow volumes of 7,122 shares.
  • The Bank’s postal subsidiary, MaltaPost plc, also closed this morning’s session unchanged at its all-time high of €1.33 across two deals totalling 8,566 shares.
  • International Hotel Investments plc held on to the €0.63 level on a single trade of 3,000 shares. IHI recently announced that it has reached an agreement with a majority of shareholders of Island Hotels Group Holdings plc with the aim of acquiring the latter’s entire issued share capital. In this respect, Island Hotels Group is scheduled to hold an Extraordinary General Meeting on 20 February 2015 seeking shareholders’ permission to divulge all the required information by IHI to proceed with a formal voluntary offer to shareholders of Island Hotels Group.
  • GO plc again failed to hold on to an intra-day high of €2.62 and closed the day unchanged at the €2.60 level on increased trading activity amounting to 38,898 shares. GO shareholders are eagerly awaiting developments with respect to the Group’s indirect investment in Forthnet.
  • Meanwhile, the share price of Malta International Airport plc inched minimally higher to a new all-time high of €2.501 on a single deal of 4,500 shares.
  • Likewise, Malita Investments plc hit a fresh all-time high of €0.70, representing a 2.9% increase from the previous closing price, on a single trade of 10,000 shares. Similarly, the share price of Medserv plc edged 0.7% higher to recapture the €1.48 level across 8,500 shares.
  • Crimsonwing plc also gained 1.3% to the €0.855 level across four deals totalling 15,643 shares despite last week’s announcement by Crimsonwing that shareholders owning 97.7% of the total issued share capital of the Company (equivalent to 29,506,296 shares) have accepted the offer by KPMG Investments Malta Limited. Furthermore, Crimsonwing stated that since the offer is now unconditional in all respects, trading in Crimsonwing shares shall be suspended as from Wednesday 4 February.