Daily Market Highlights (12.10.15)

  • The MSE Share Index ended this morning’s session in positive territory for the fourth consecutive day with a further 0.52% increase to 4,343.249 points. Volumes increased noticeably as over €225,000 worth of shares changed hands. Download a copy of today’s Equity Market Summary.
  • On the bond market, the RF MGS Index moved marginally higher by 0.04% to 1,132.958 points as the 10-year German Bund yield opened the day virtually unchanged from last Friday’s level of 0.6%. Earlier this afternoon, the 10-year German Bund yield eased to 0.58% on continued uncertainty relating to the next move by the Federal Reserve and as well as the European Central Bank.
  • Hili Properties plc will be announcing its allocation policy in relation to its recent €35 million bond issue this Wednesday 14 October 2015.
  • Simonds Farsons Cisk plc continued to surge with the equity climbing by a further 3.4% to a new all-time high of €6.00 albeit on a single deal of just 200 shares. On 30 September the Company published its interim financial results which showed that during the first half of the 2015/16 financial year, the Group registered another positive performance with profits after tax rising by 16% to €4.6 million.
  • HSBC Bank Malta plc advanced by 1.9% to close at a two-week high of €1.845 across 12,400 shares.
  • Following the publication of the September traffic results, Malta International Airport plc edged 1.3% higher to the €3.88 level on low volumes of 2,500 shares. The announcement revealed that the airport operator registered an 8.6% increase in passenger movements during the month of September to a new record for the month of 502,823 passengers – representing the third consecutive month with more than 500,000 passenger movements, a first for MIA. During the first nine months of the year, MIA registered a 7% increase in passenger movements to 3.62 million compared to the Company’s revised forecast for 2015 of a 4.6% increase.
  • The other positive performer was GO plc with a rise of 0.3% to €3.459 across 20,550 shares. GO will be holding an Extraordinary General Meeting on 29 October.
  • Meanwhile, the only negative performer of the day was Bank of Valletta plc as the equity failed to hold on to last Friday’s closing price and lost 0.4% to the €2.37 level across 32,960 shares. The Bank is expected to publish its annual preliminary results by the end of October. Recently, the Bank also announced that it lodged an application with the Listing Authority for a subordinated debt issuance programme of a maximum of €150 million over the next twelve months. Further details will be issued in the Prospectus and Final Terms once approval is granted.
  • Also in the banking sector, Lombard Bank Malta plc closed unchanged at its multi-year high of €2.22 albeit on a single deal of 247 shares.
  • At an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held today, the Board of Directors of Medserv plc were given the authorisation to disclose the required information requested by any offeror and its advisers to make, confirm, withdraw or modify any offer made to the Company. The equity of the oil and gas logistics company ended the day unchanged at the €3.095 level across volumes of 13,700 shares. Medserv will be convening another EGM in relation to its planned acquisition of METS Group for USD46 million. Medserv intends to finance such an acquisition through a mix of debt and equity.