Daily Market Highlights (18.01.13)

  • The MSE Share Index slid 1.2% lower to 3,214.025 points mainly due to the 6.1% plunge in IHI on very low volumes. HSBC, FIMBank, MIDI and MaltaPost also traded lower whilst GO moved 1.6% higher. A further three equities, including BOV, ended the session unchanged. Download a copy of the Equity Market Summary. Over the week, the local equity benchmark edged 0.6% higher mainly reflecting the weekly increases in BOV, GO and FIMBank which primarily offset the declines in HSBC, IHI and MIA.
  • On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index eased 0.2% lower for the first time in eleven sessions to 1,009.05 points as benchmark 10-year German Bund yields surged to the 1.60% level. This reflects the increased appetite for riskier assets following the successful bond auctions of Spain and Italy.
  • Trading activity increased during this morning’s trading session on the Borza particularly in the banking sector with 200,000 FIMBank shares changing hands at the US$1.02 level representing a 2.9% drop from yesterday’s close. Despite today’s drop, the equity of the trade finance specialist still ended as the best performer of the week with a 27.5% rise ahead of the Extraordinary General Meeting scheduled for 31 January.
  • BOV initially traded up to a new 20-month high of €2.26 but eased back to close the day unchanged at the €2.25 level. Volumes remained high with a further 48,000 shares changing hands. During the week, BOV’s equity advanced by 3.7% on high activity amounting to 238,901 shares.
  • Almost 28,000 HSBC shares were exchanged this morning with the Bank’s share price easing a further 0.7% lower to the €2.70 level for a total weekly decline of 1.5%.
  • In the property segment, MIDI slid 1.8% lower to the €0.27 level on a single trade of 49,500 shares.
  • Meanwhile, last year’s new entrant, Malita Investments, registered a further 1% increase to close at a new all-time high of €0.525 on volumes of 30,000 shares. Yesterday afternoon, the Company published its first set of results covering the nine months ended 30 September 2012. During this period, Malita registered a net profit of €0.75 million mainly reflecting the leases from the sites of MIA and VCP as well as the uplift in the fair value of the same investment properties.
  • Crimsonwing recovered from an intra-day low of €0.53 to end this morning’s session unchanged at the €0.54 level across 52,500 shares. Crimsonwing’s equity shed 5.3% this week.
  • RS2 Software shares continued to trade at their all-time high of €0.85 on a deal of 7,460 shares representing a 3.7% weekly rise – the seventh successive weekly gain.
  • GO shares garnered a further 1.6% rise to the €1.27 level on volumes of just over 5,000 shares.
  • IHI plunged 6.1% back to the €0.751 level during the final minutes of today’s session on insignificant volumes amounting to just 130 shares.
  • MaltaPost’s share price eased another 2.1% lower to the €0.95 level on volumes of 8,712 shares. Yesterday, the postal operator announced that the new subsidiary that will be set up to offer insurance services (as approved by the Annual General Meeting held on 10 January 2013) will act as an agent of Middlesea Insurance plc.