Daily Market Highlights (15.05.13)

  • The MSE Share Index dropped by 0.6% to 3,348.376 points following the declines registered in HSBC Bank Malta plc and Middlesea Insurance plc which offset the positive performances by RS2, Bank of Valletta plc as well as Malta International Airport plc. Download a copy of the Equity Market Summary.
  • On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index again eased minimally lower to 1,019.771 points as Eurozone benchmark yields regained the 1.40% level. Tomorrow afternoon, the Treasury will be announcing the prices of the two new MGS issues on offer next week, i.e. the 3% MGS 2019 and the 4.5% MGS 2028.
  • The equity of RS2 Software plc traded back up to its all-time high of €1.04 during this morning’s session on increased activity amounting to 68,163 shares. The company officially inaugurated its smart processing subsidiary today. The fully-owned subsidiary RS2 Smart Processing Ltd offers managed services to international clients across the global financial industry. On 2 April, RS2 had confirmed that the smart processing subsidiary concluded its first major contract with one of the largest payment processors in Europe. During today’s official launch, RS2’s CEO Mr Radi El Haj stated that the company is “ideally placed to benefit from this significant opportunity for growth in addition to responding to market changes and client demand”.
  • HSBC Bank Malta plc dropped by 1.9% to €2.62 after trading at the €2.67 level for the past two days. Volumes decreased to just over 4,600 shares.
  • Bank of Valletta plc edged higher for the fifth successive day with a minimal increase to €2.244 on volumes of 5,837 shares.
  • The only two other active equities were Malta International Airport plc and MaltaPost plc. The share price of the airport operator edged marginally higher to €1.93 while the equity of the postal operator continued to trade at €1.05.
  • Yesterday evening, 6pm Holdings plc confirmed that during the first few months of 2013, the Group continued the positive financial track record achieved in 2012 and registered profits in each month. The company provided a detailed operational update and the Directors stated that they anticipate that the positive financial results obtained in the first months of 2013 will continue during the rest of the year.