Daily Market Highlights (15.01.15)

  • The MSE Share Index extended yesterday’s gains by a further 0.5% to 4,485.890 points as seven equities performed positively whilst another three equities closed unchanged. Trading volumes remained elevated as nearly €473,000 worth of shares changed hands. The equity benchmark advanced by 0.2% during the second week of January. Download a copy of today’s Equity Market Summary.
  • On the bond market, the RF MGS Index edged minimally up by 0.05% to 1,137.668 points as the benchmark 10-year German Bund yield declined from the 0.49% level of yesterday to 0.48% today. In addition to depressed oil prices and weak sentiment across international stock markets, minutes from the December meeting of the European Central Bank released yesterday evening showed that the ECB sees scope for further cuts to its deposit rate as the inflationary outlook deteriorates.
  • Most notably, RS2 Software plc also breached its previous all-time high for the sixth time this year as it closed at the €3.33 level (+2.1%) across healthy volumes totalling 22,070 shares.
  • The equity of Malta International Airport plc advanced by 0.7% to regain its all-time high of €4.30 across high volumes of 36,860 shares. The 2015 financial results of the airport operator will be published on 24 February.
  • The equities of Bank of Valletta plc and its associate company Mapfre Middlesea plc also performed positively. BOV’s share price gained a further 0.9% to close at the €2.23 level across elevated volumes of 51,156 shares. Likewise, the equity of the insurance specialist closed up 1.3% at the €2.33 level (its highest since early May 2009) across 14,278 shares.
  • GO plc and Simonds Farsons Cisk plc also performed positively. GO added 0.3% to regain the €3.10 level across 9,143 shares and Farsons traded back up to the €6.00 level (+0.2%) on weak volumes of 1,645 shares.
  • The other positive performer of today’s trading session was the equity of MaltaPost plc, which registered a gain of 1.6% to the €1.899 level across 5,436 shares. This morning, the postal operator held its Annual General Meeting during which shareholders approved a number of resolutions including the payment of a final net dividend of €0.04 per share (payable on 12 February) as well as the option to take up the dividend either in the form of cash or new shares at the attribution price of €1.80 per share.
  • Meanwhile, three equities closed unchanged. HSBC Bank Malta plc closed at the €1.731 level for the fourth time this week across 10,380 shares.
  • In the property sector, Malita Investments plc and Malta Properties Company plc also closed unchanged at €0.95 (10,000 shares) and €0.57 (34,900 shares) respectively.
  • Today marked the closure of Medserv plc’s Intermediaries’ Offers for a €30 million bond issue (in US Dollars and/or in Euro) and the 6,375,000 shares representing the rights not being taken up by the two largest shareholders at €1.50 per share. Meanwhile, eligible shareholders have until next Monday 18 January to subscribe for the 2 for 9 rights issue at the price of €1.50 per share.