Daily Market Highlights (07.05.15)

  • The MSE Share Index trended in negative territory for the first time in the last seven sessions with a 0.3% decline back to 3,808.22 points as no equity gained during this morning’s session. Download a copy of today’s Equity Market Summary.
  • On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index trended lower for the sixth consecutive session with a further 0.3% drop back to a 6-week low of 1,146.907 points as benchmark European yields continued to trend higher. German 10-year yields rallied to 0.769% for the first time since late November 2014. However, by this afternoon, the benchmark 10-year German Bund yield slipped back to the 0.638% level which is only 5.1 basis points higher than the previous day’s closing level of 0.587%.
  • Most notably, Bank of Valletta plc shed a further 0.4% to fall back to the €2.30 level after failing to hold on to an intra-day high of €2.33 across. A total of 27,201 shares traded today. Tomorrow is the last day that the Bank’s equity trades with the entitlement to the interim gross dividend of €0.039 (net: €0.0254) per share. The dividend will subsequently be paid on 27 May 2015.
  • Similarly, the equity of HSBC Bank Malta plc reversed some of its recent positive movement with a 0.5% decline back to the €1.92 level on low volumes of 6,958 shares.
  • In the IT sector, RS2 Software plc eased from its all-time high of €3.20 as it turned ex-dividend. RS2’s share price retreated by 1.25% back to the €3.16 level on a single trade of 1,542 shares. The IT Company is scheduled to hold its Annual General Meeting on 9 June during which shareholders will be asked to approve a number of resolutions including the final net dividend of €0.044 per share. If approved, the dividend will subsequently be paid on 15 June.
  • Likewise, the share price of 6pm Holdings plc shed 1.3% to GBP0.74 across 7,874 shares. The IT equity will continue to trade with the entitlement to the final net dividend of GBP0.02 until 22 May.
  • Meanwhile, no changes were registered in the share prices of the other four active equities including Malta International Airport plc as the equity held on to the €3.48 across four deals totalling 15,290 shares. This morning, the Times of Malta reported that the Mr Julian Jaeger, Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Flughafen Wieng AG (owner and operator of the Vienna airport), confirmed that the company’s stake in MIA is not up for sale thereby ending speculation that the Austrian company was looking to offload its significant stake in the local airport operator.
  • GO plc also ended this morning’s session unchanged at its 7-year high of €3.00 on volumes of just below 30,000 shares. Tomorrow, GO will be distributing its final net dividend of €0.07 per share as approved by shareholders during last Tuesday’s Annual General Meeting. Meanwhile, on Tuesday afternoon, the telecoms quad-play operator announced that it is exploring options that would maximise shareholders’ value in relation to the property portfolio, comprising 11 properties valued at €50 million, owned by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Malta Properties Company Limited. GO indicated that one of the options being considered is a potential spin-off of the said subsidiary on a pro-rata basis to the shareholders of GO.
  • Lombard Bank Malta plc maintained the €1.89 level on low volumes of 3,830 shares. Likewise, the equity of Tigné Mall plc closed this morning’s session unchanged at the €0.80 level after briefly touching a new all-time high of €0.805. the equity will trade ex-dividend as from tomorrow.