Daily Market Highlights (21.01.15)

  • The MSE Share Index immediately recovered from yesterday’s 0.1% drop and advanced by 0.8% during this morning’s session to reach a fresh 8-month high of 3,411.699 points as most of the active equities closed higher. Download a copy of today’s Equity Market Summary.
  • On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index registered its eight consecutive daily increase to yet another all-time high of 1,115.343 points despite this morning’s uptick in Eurozone yields to the 0.45% level. Furthermore, by this afternoon, benchmark 10-year yields continued to rise reaching the 0.497% level ahead of tomorrow’s monetary policy meeting of the European Central Bank (ECB) during which it is expected to launch a quantitative easing programme.
  • The share price of International Hotel Investments plc climbed by 5.1% to recapture the €0.62 level for the first time since last September. A total of 37,000 shares changed hands across six deals. IHI’s share price has risen by 8.8% since last Friday’s announcement revealing its plans to acquire Island Hotels Group Holdings plc. The latter’s equity rallied by 16.5% on Monday to regain the €0.99 level but has since remained inactive with no sellers in sight.
  • Malta International Airport plc also trended in positive territory with a further 0.8% increase to yet another all-time high of €2.44 albeit on low volumes of 1,000 shares. MIA is expected to publish its 2014 passenger numbers and the forecast for 2015 shortly. In the meantime, this afternoon, the airport operator announced that it has appointed Alan Borg as CEO ‘ad interim’ in replacement of Markus Klaushofer.
  • Likewise, the equity of RS2 Software plc hit a new all-time high of €2.974 representing a 0.1% increase over the previous closing price on volumes of 41,301 shares.
  • HSBC Bank Malta plc’s equity was the only other positive performer with a 1% increase to regain the €2.01 level across 26,957 shares.
  • On the other hand, the share price of Bank of Valletta plc shed a further 0.1% back to the €2.089 level across nine trades totalling 13,178 shares.
  • Meanwhile, GO plc’s share price maintained the €2.595 level on low volumes of 7,699 shares.