Daily Market Highlights (27.01.15)

  • Today the MSE Share Index ended practically unchanged at 3,426.744 points as the declines in the share prices of HSBC Bank Malta plc and International Hotel Investments plc offset the gains registered by six other equities. Download a copy of today’s Equity Market Summary.
  • HSBC’s share price retreated by 0.5% to close at the €2.02 level on volumes of just over 23,000 shares. HSBC is due to publish its 2014 financial statements on 23 February.
  • Similarly, the share price of IHI initially dropped 3.8% to an intra-day low of €0.625 probably in view of this morning’s terrorist attack on the hotel in Tripoli, Libya. Nonetheless, the equity partially rebounded by the end of this morning’s trading session to end the day 1.5% lower at the €0.64 level on total volumes of 13,300 shares.
  • On the other hand, Bank of Valletta plc edged 0.5% higher to €2.07 across twenty deals comprising 45,528 shares.
  • Also in the banking sector, Lombard Bank Malta plc’s equity edged 1.1% higher to close at the €1.85 level for the first time since mid-August 2012 on volumes of 26,831 shares.
  • Trading activity in GO plc remained healthy with a total of 28,616 shares changing hands today. The equity recovered from an intra-day low of €2.57 to end the session 0.2% higher at the €2.60 level.
  • In the property sector, the share price of Tigné Mall plc jumped 5.5% to reach a fresh all-time high of €0.65 on very high volumes of 245,000 shares.
  • Similarly, Malita Investments plc edged 2.8% higher to recapture its all-time high of €0.67 on a single trade of 1,000 shares.
  • MaltaPost plc advanced by 3.2% to a fresh record of €1.30 on activity of 4,271 shares. On Friday, the postal operator is scheduled to pay out the final dividend recently approved by shareholders during the Annual General Meeting.
  • Meanwhile, a further 2,800 shares of Malta International Airport plc traded unchanged at the €2.45 level (just €0.005 below its all-time high) across two deals. Last week, the airport operator announced that passenger movements during 2014 grew by 6.4% and the company is expecting a further 2% growth this year on the back of additional new routes and airlines operating from Malta. MIA is now scheduled to publish its full-year financial results on Tuesday 24 February.
  • The only other active equity was 6pm Holdings plc with 2,000 shares changing hands at the GBP0.70 level.
  • On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index advanced by a further 0.3% this morning to reach yet another all-time high of 1,125.612 points despite a marginal rebound in the benchmark 10-year Eurozone yield from its lows of 0.342% to around the 0.38% level. Long-term Malta Government Stock prices continued to rally following last week’s quantitative easing announcement by the European Central Bank. Likewise, in the corporate bond market, some bonds also continued to rise with a number of securities reaching new record levels including the 6% Medserv plc 2020/23 at 110%; 5.1% PTL Holdings plc 2024 at 106%; 5.3% United Finance plc 2023 at 105%.