Daily Market Highlights (23.10.15)

  • The MSE Share Index closed 0.4% higher at 4,322.691 points as the positive performance of HSBC and BOV outweighed the 4.7% slump in the equity of FIMBank. Download a copy of today’s Equity Market Summary.
  • On the bond market, the RF MGS Index registered the highest jump since late March 2009 as it advanced by 0.70% to a fresh 4-month high of 1,144.322 points. Yields across the eurozone eased dramatically after the European Central Bank (ECB) President, Mr Mario Draghi, noted that additional monetary stimulus will be unveiled at the ECB’s forthcoming December meeting in order to tackle deflationary pressures across the eurozone. The benchmark 10-year German Bund yield slipped from yesterday’s 0.57% level to a low of 0.48% today, before marginally recovering to the 0.52% level. The German two year yield reached a new record low of negative 0.32% whilst the Italian and Spanish counterparts trended below zero for the first time ever.
  • HSBC Bank Malta plc was the best performing equity of the day as it advanced by 2.8% to the €1.85 level across 43,420 shares. 
  • Also in the banking sector, Bank of Valletta plc closed marginally higher at €2.362 on volumes of 51,516 shares. Today, the Bank announced that its Board of Directors is scheduled to meet on Friday 30 October to consider and approve the Group’s accounts for the financial year ended 30 September 2015. The Directors will also consider the declaration of a final dividend to be recommended to shareholders during the upcoming Annual General Meeting. Earlier this week, the Bank also announced that it obtained approval for a €150 million Subordinated Debt Issuance Programme. Further details will be available in due course.
  • A single trade of just 1,000 shares of Mapfre Middlesea plc left the equity virtually unchanged at the €2.201 level. In yesterday’s Interim Directors’ Statement, the Group revealed that during the third quarter of 2015, premiums and revenues continued to exceed the Group’s forecasts whilst the Group’s investment portfolios registered subdued performances. The announcement also explained that the statutory solvency position of the Group remains strong and well in excess of the regulatory requirements.
  • FIMBank plc was the only negative performer of the day as the equity traded for the first time this week and closed 4.7% lower at the USD0.43 level across 17,300 shares. 
  • Meanwhile, the three other active equities of the day closed today’s session unchanged on shallow volumes. Malta International Airport plc closed at the €3.85 level across 2,650 shares. Moreover, shallow trades in the equities of Lombard Bank Malta plc and RS2 Software plc left the equities unchanged at the €2.25 and the €2.49 levels respectively.