Daily Market Highlights (30.05.16)

  • The MSE Share Index trended into negative territory for the seventh time in the last eight sessions with a further 0.2% decline during this morning’s session to a fresh 15-week low of 4,464.315 points. The value traded during today’s sessions marginally exceeded the €0.2 million level. Download a copy of today’s Equity Market Summary.
  • On the bond market, the RF MGS Index extended last Friday’s decline as it slipped by a further 0.11% to 1,149.584 points. Eurozone bond yields edged higher today after comments made last Friday by Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen in which she said that the Fed should raise interest rates “in the coming months” if the US economy picks up as expected and jobs continue to be generated, lifting the case for an interest rate hike in June or July. Furthermore, another member of the Fed Board of Governors, James Bullard, on Monday stated that global markets appear to be “well-prepared” for a summer rate hike.
  • Amongst the largest equities by market capitalisation, the share price of HSBC Bank Malta plc eased 0.1% lower back to the €1.60 level on shallow volumes of 5,309 shares.
  • Similarly, RS2 Software plc edged 0.3% lower to the €3.487 level across four deals totalling 5,325 shares.
  • Shallow volumes were also registered in MaltaPost plc and FIMBank plc. The share price of the postal operator slid by 6.2% back to the €1.801 level on a single trade of 2,000 shares. An insignificant deal of 125 shares was executed in FIMBank plc at the USD0.84 level representing a 0.8% drop from the previous closing price.
  • The only other negative performing equity was MIDI plc with a 1% drop back to the €0.384 level on volumes of 16,000 shares.
  • On the other hand, the share price of GO plc edged marginally higher to €2.89 on volumes of 12,495 shares. Last Monday, GO stated that La Société Nationale des Télécommunications (“Tunisie Télécom”) was chosen as the final preferred bidder for acquiring the entire company. Tunisie Telecom will, within the next two weeks, be submitting a voluntary bid (through the publication of an offer document) for the entire issued share capital of GO at a price of €2.87 per share. It has already been announced that the offer will be subject to a minimum acceptance threshold of 60% of the shares and that Emirates International Telecommunications (Malta) Limited, which owns a 60% stake, has, subject to certain conditions, irrevocably undertaken to accept the voluntary bid.
  • Similarly, the share price of Bank of Valletta plc inched minimally higher to close at the €2.24 level across eight deals totalling 11,390 shares.
  • A single deal of just 1,000 shares was executed in Malta Properties Company plc at the €0.512 level representing a €0.002 increase over the previous closing price.
  • Meanwhile, no change was registered in the share price of Malta International Airport plc as the equity failed to hold on to an intra-day high of €4.33 to end the session at the €4.30 level on volumes of 12,495 shares.
  • Medserv plc also held on to the €1.76 level across six deals totalling 19,160 shares.
  • Similarly, Malita Investments plc traded unchanged at the €0.90 level on a single trade of 11,000 shares.
  • The only other active equity was Loqus Holdings plc with 2,000 shares trading unchanged at the €0.131 level.