Daily Market Highlights (30.03.2017)

  • The MSE Share Index extended yesterday’s decline as it slipped by a further 0.22% to 4,718.423 points. Trading activity was spread across eight equities: four performed negatively, two registered gains and another two shares closed the day unchanged. Week-on-week, the Index still ended higher with an increase of 0.23% on reduced trading volumes. Download a copy today’s Equity Market Summary.
  • On the bond market, the RF MGS Index extended yesterday’s gains by a further 0.36% to an over three-week high of 1,123.992 points. Euro zone sovereign yields slumped as a report issued by an international financial media agency yesterday indicated that the recent speculation that suggested that the European Central Bank (ECB) might increase its deposit rate facility before its current quantitative-easing programme comes to an end on 31 December 2017 was overblown and misinterpreted. On the economic front, fresh inflationary data in Spain and Germany disappointed.
  • The most actively traded equity today was HSBC Bank Malta plc which eased by 0.5% to the €2.06 level across 52,586 shares – representing nearly 40% of the total value of equity market volume.
  • Also among the large companies by market capitalisation, RS2 Software plc closed the day 0.6% lower at a three-month low of €1.62 after hitting an intra-day high of €1.65.
  • GO plc lost 1.4% to the €3.499 level after partially recovering from an intra-day low of €3.40 (-4.2%). A total of 3,118 shares traded. Today, the equity started trading without the entitlement to a net dividend of €0.11 per share.
  • Malita Investments plc dropped 0.7% to a fresh two-year low of €0.75 albeit on trivial volumes.
  • Within the same sector, Malta Properties Company plc gained 0.2% to the €0.521 level across 4,820 shares.
  • Lombard Bank Malta plc climbed 0.8% to a new fourteen-month high of €2.48 also on insignificant volumes.
  • Meanwhile, Bank of Valletta plc (41,742 shares) and Simonds Farsons Cisk plc (4,857 shares) closed flat at €2.20 and €7.20 respectively.
  • Grand Harbour Marina plc published its 2016 financial results today showing an improved net profit figure of €0.38 million when compared to €0.2 million in the previous comparable period. The Directors did not recommend the payment of a final dividend.