Daily Market Highlights (22.01.13)

  • The MSE Share Index eased 0.1% lower today to 3,227.954 points as the share prices of BOV, MIA and FIMBank traded lower to offset the increases in the equities of GO and Crimsonwing. Meanwhile, another four equities, including HSBC, ended this morning’s session unchanged. Download a copy of the Equity Market Summary.
  • On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index slipped 0.1% lower to 1,009.021 points as Eurozone yields again surpassed the 1.6% level after it was revealed that German investor sentiment touched its highest levels in over two and half years. This suggests that the adverse impact from the prevailing crisis in the Eurozone on Germany is somewhat abating.
  • BOV’s equity failed to hold on to a fresh 52-week high of €2.27 as it drifted 0.4% lower to the €2.251 level across ten trades totalling 14,680 shares.
  • Meanwhile, the share price of HSBC held on to the €2.70 level on volumes of 16,160 shares. The Bank is scheduled to publish its preliminary 2012 full-year results on 4 March.
  • MIA’s equity eased 0.6% lower to the €1.75 level on low volumes of 1,924 shares. Meanwhile, earlier this morning, MIA held a press conference announcing record passenger movements for the third consecutive year. MIA’s CEO Markus Klaushofer that during 2012 passenger movements increased by 4.1% to 3.65 million on the back of a 1.1% growth in seat capacity to 4.66 million seats as well as a 2.3 percentage increase in the seat load factor to 78.3%. Moreover, the CEO of MIA this morning revealed that the Company expects passenger numbers to grow by a further 1.5% in 2013 to yet another record of over 3.7 million passengers. Further details available here.
  • FIMBank slipped into negative territory this morning with a further 1% decline to the US$1.01 level across 29,500 shares. The trade finance specialist is scheduled to hold an Extraordinary General Meeting on 31 January seeking shareholders’ approval on a joint-offer by Burgan Bank and United Gulf Bank (UGB), both subsidiaries of the Kuwaiti based KIPCO Group, which will ultimately lead to the two banks having a combined majority shareholding in FIMBank.
  • On the other hand, the share price of GO continued to edge higher with an increase of a further 0.8% to a fresh 17-month high of €1.28 across five deals totalling 7,250 shares.
  • Similarly, Crimsowning’s equity reversed some of last week’s declines with a 1.9% increase to regain the €0.55 level on a trade of just over 1,100 shares.
  • Low volumes were also transacted in the shares of RS2 Software with the equity remaining unchanged at the all-time high of €0.85.
  • Likewise, no changes were registered in the share price of MaltaPost during this morning’s session as just over 1,000 shares changed hands at the €0.95 level.
  • Meanwhile, higher volumes were transacted in Plaza Centres with 73,200 shares changing hands at the €0.55 level, representing no change from the previous close.