Daily Market Highlights (09.04.2018)

  • The MSE Equity Price Index extended its recent negative trend with a further decline of 1.66% to a two-and-a-half year low of 4,330.139 points. Today’s drop was driven by the 6.5% slump in the share price of IHI and a further five equites (including HSBC and BOV) which also ended the day in negative territory. Meanwhile, MIA and PG traded unchanged. Download a copy of today’s Equity Market Summary.
  • The RF MGS Index opened the week in negative territory with a decline of 0.11% to an over three-week low of 1,116.726 points. Euro zone sovereign yields trended mostly lower today, weighed down by disappointing German exports data which registered the largest drop since August 2015, as well as a significant decline in the level of confidence among investors and analysts across the single currency area which deteriorated by more-than-expected to a fourteen-month low.
  • Most of today’s trading activity took place in the equity of HSBC Bank Malta plc which slid by a further 2.9% to the €1.67 level after partially recovering from an intra-day low of €1.64 (the lowest price since October 2016). A total of 135,446 shares changed hands, representing 63% of the total value of equities traded. The bank is due to hold its Annual General Meeting this Thursday 12 April 2018.
  • Within the same sector, Bank of Valletta plc moved back to the €1.75 level (-2.5%) across 34,593 shares. Today, the equity started trading without entitlement to the recently declared net final dividend of €0.052 per share.
  • International Hotel Investments plc slumped by 6.5% to the €0.58 level on five deals totalling 113,227 shares whilst Simonds Farsons Cisk plc dropped 0.7% to a sixteen-month low of €6.85 across 5,200 shares.
  • The other negative performing equities today were GO plc and MaltaPost plc which retreated to their lowest levels in several months of €3.58 and €1.85 respectively albeit on trivial volumes. The equity of GO will continue to trade with the entitlement to the final net dividend of €0.13 per share until next Wednesday 11 April 2018.
  • A single deal of 2,200 shares left the equity of Malta International Airport plc at the €4.90 level. Last Friday, the airport operator published the March traffic results revealing a 22.5% growth in passenger movements. Overall, during the winter period between November 2017 and March 2018, MIA hosted a total of 1.8 million passengers, representing an increase of 17% over the previous winter period.
  • PG plc also ended flat at its nine-month low of €1.31 across 19,250 shares.