Daily Market Highlights (08.11.16)

  • The MSE Share Index extended yesterday’s gains as it advanced by a further 0.49% to 4,540.595 points on reduced volumes of €0.19 million – down from €0.73 million yesterday. Four of the largest companies by market capitalisation – BOV, HSBC, MIA and GO – all performed positively today whilst only two shares closed the day lower. Download a copy of today’s Equity Market Summary.
  • On the bond market, the RF MGS Index posted its first gain in the last six days as it bounced back by 0.16% to 1,169.225 points. The 10-year benchmark German Bund yield slipped slightly to 0.144% from 0.153% yesterday. On the economic front, fresh data showed that German industrial production fell by a bigger-than-expected 1.8% in September – the sharpest decline in more than two years. Meanwhile, financial markets were calmer today as many analysts are now forecasting a win by the Democratic party contender Ms Hillary Clinton in the US Presidential election.
  • Bank of Valletta plc reached its highest level since mid-January 2008 of €2.329 (+0.4%) across 33,865 shares. The equity will continue to trade with the entitlement to the final gross dividend of €0.0852 (net: €0.0554) per share until Monday 14 November.
  • Also in the retail banking sector, HSBC Bank Malta plc recovered some of last Friday’s dip as it rebounded by 1.7% to the €1.83 level on light volumes totalling 6,297 shares.
  • GO plc moved closer to its over five-month high of €3.25 as it advanced by 0.3% to the €3.23 level across 8,644 shares.
  • Two deals of just 1,000 shares lifted the equity of Malta International Airport plc 0.2% higher from its ten-month low of €4.02 to the €4.03 level. Yesterday, MIA published its October traffic results revealing a 10.4% increase over the same month last year to over half-a-million passengers – the first time that passenger movements exceeded the 500,000 mark in the month of October. The airport operator also stated that during the period from end of March 2016 till the end of October 2016, it handled a record 3.65 million passenger movements which translate into a 6.3% growth when compared to summer 2015. During the first ten months of 2016, MIA registered a 7.8% increase in passenger movements to 4.4 million when compared to the same period last year. In July, MIA had revised upwards its passenger forecast for 2016 to +7.5% to an estimated throughput of 4.97 million passengers.
  • Mapfre Middlesea plc rose 2.9% to recapture the €2.10 level on 8,492 shares.
  • RS2 Software plc maintained the €1.598 level on shallow volumes totalling 2,480 shares.
  • Low volumes were also traded in Medserv plc which retreated below its January 2016 right issue price of €1.50 to the €1.49 level (-0.7%).
  • Meanwhile, FIMBank plc eased by 0.6% to the USD0.89 level across 57,000 shares.
  • Trading in the recently issued 2.1% MGS 2039 (I) R commenced today with the price surging by 451 basis points to 107.01% from the issue price of 102.50% on robust volumes totalling €4.92 million (nominal) – representing over 70% of the total nominal value of Malta Government Stocks traded today.