Daily Market Highlights (04.01.17)

  • Positive sentiment across the local equity market persisted as the MSE Share Index advanced by 0.10% to a fresh near nine-year high of 4,638.789 points. Trading activity softened further today as only €0.15 million worth of shares changed hands – the lowest in nearly a month. Download a copy of today’s Equity Market Summary.
  • On the bond market, the RF MGS Index registered declines for the third consecutive day as it dropped by a further 0.76% to a near three-week low of 1,141.629 points. The indicative opening bid prices of the Central Bank of Malta for all Malta Government Stocks (MGS) dropped today as euro zone sovereign yields continued to rise (bond prices fell) amid heightened inflationary expectations and better economic prospects worldwide. Following today’s declines, the indicative opening bid price for the longer-dated MGS issued in October last year (the 2.1% MGS 2039) dropped below par again to 98.68%.
  • MaltaPost plc jumped by 2.5% to a new all-time high of €2.08 across 38,603 shares. The postal operator is due to hold its Annual General Meeting on 27 January 2017 during which shareholders will be asked to approve the recently recommended net dividend of €0.04 per share.
  • Medserv plc recaptured the €1.60 level (+0.1%) on volumes totalling 21,200 shares.
  • A single deal of 1,950 shares lifted the equity of GO plc 0.3% higher to the €3.27 level whilst FIMBank plc moved to a near three-month high of USD0.91 (+1.1%) albeit on trivial volumes.
  • Also in the banking sector, Bank of Valletta plc maintained the €2.25 level on reduced volumes totalling 10,520 shares. The equity will continue trading with the entitlement to the 1 for 13 bonus issue until 12 January 2017.
  • Loqus Holdings plc held on to its multi-year high of €0.165 across insignificant volumes.
  • Meanwhile, RS2 Software plc moved lower for the first time in the last twelve trading sessions as the equity slipped by 0.5% to €1.829 across 4,300 shares.