Daily Market Highlights (03.03.2017)

  • The MSE Share Index trended higher for the third consecutive session as it gained a further 0.40% today to reach a fresh 9-year high of 4,763.682 points. During this morning’s session, all actively traded equities closed in positive territory except for Simonds Farsons Cisk plc which maintained the €7.20 level on trivial volumes. Week-on-week, the local equity index posted its fourth consecutive weekly gain as it advanced by a further 0.33% largely on the back of the weekly increases in the share prices of HSBC (+2.0%), MIA (+1.0%) and BOV (+0.9%). Download a copy of today’s Equity Market Summary.
  • On the bond market, the RF MGS Index posted a three-day negative streak as it fell by a further 0.05% to a five-day low of 1,126.603 points. Euro zone sovereign yields remained close to their recent highs as the result of fresh surveys showed that euro zone private sector business activity rose at its quickest pace in nearly six years in February, accelerating across all major economies with job creation reaching its fastest rate in almost a decade. Furthermore, whilst retail sales in the single currency area fell for the third consecutive month in January (-0.1%), year-on-year they grew by an encouraging 1.2%.
  • The most actively traded equity today was Bank of Valletta plc which recaptured its nine-year high of €2.21 (+0.5%) across 42,247 shares.
  • Also in the retail banking sector, HSBC Bank Malta plc recorded a new three-year high of €2.099 (+1.2%) before retreating to close at the €2.09 level (+0.7%) on volumes of 33,706 shares. Shareholders as at 10 March 2017 will be eligible to receive a final net dividend of €0.027 per share subject to shareholders’ approval during an Annual General Meeting scheduled to be held on 13 April 2017.
  • Two deals of 7,380 shares lifted the equity of Lombard Bank Malta plc 0.8% higher to a fresh 1-year high of €2.39 ahead of the Bank’s financial results publication on 9 March 2017.
  • Malta International Airport plc reversed most of yesterday’s decline as it rebounded by 0.5% to the €4.24 level across 6,350 shares. Shareholders as at 6 April 2017 will be eligible to receive a final net dividend of €0.07 per share subject to shareholders’ approval during an Annual General Meeting scheduled to be held on 10 May 2017. Meanwhile, on Wednesday Ryanair launched its largest ever Malta winter schedule for 2017/18 consisting of new routes as well as more flights to existing destinations.
  • Medserv plc gained 1.6% to the €1.625 level across 17,165 shares. Last Monday, the Company announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary METS was awarded the largest contract ever won by the Medserv Group. On the other hand, Medserv was not successful in its first bid to penetrate the Trinidad market. Medserv is due to publish its 2016 financial results on 5 April 2017.
  • Malta Properties Company plc and Santumas Shareholdings plc also closed this morning’s session in positive territory at €0.549 (+5.2%) and €1.65 (+6.5%) respectively across shallow volumes.