Daily Market Highlights (31.01.11)

  • MSE Share Index eases by another 0.3% this morning to 3,865.787 points on declines in IHI and MaltaPost. Meanwhile HSBC and Simonds Farsons Cisk close unchanged with BOV up 0.3%. During the first month of 2011, the Share Index gained 2.2% mainly due to the price hikes in MIA and HSBC and positive performances by Farsons, Lombard, IHG, FIMBank and IHI. On the other hand, Plaza, RS2 and BOV close the month lower. Download a copy of today’s Equity Market Summary.
  • Despite today’s marginal recovery, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index ended the month of January in negative territory with a 0.9% decline to 983.88 points. This represents the fifth consecutive month of declines and a 3.6% fall since reaching a high of 1,020.209 points on 31 August 2010.
  • BOV’s share price up 0.3% today to €3.11 across 25 deals totalling 16,731 shares. Despite today’s upturn, the equity still end the first month of 2011 in negative territory with a 3.3% drop. The Bank is shortly expected to publish its Interim Directors’ Statement.
  • Meanwhile HSBC recovered from an intra-day low of €3.48 to close unchanged at the €3.50 level. Over 40,000 shares exchanged today with best bids now in the market at €3.47 whilst lowest offers pitched at the €3.51 level. The Bank’s equity ranks as the second best performer since the start of the year as the share price was lifted 7.5% higher ahead of the 2010 full-year results publication in the coming weeks.
  • Following last week’s 1% drop, IHI’s equity eased another 2.1% during this morning’s session to drop back to the €0.95 level on a single trade of 10,000 shares. Equity closes January with a 0.5% gain following the strong rally in December.
  • MaltaPost failed to hold on to its all-time high of €1.01 as its share price retreated by 1% to the €1.00 level on volumes of over 10,2000 shares. Following today’s decline, the postal operator closed the first month of 2011 unchanged. This morning the Company held its Annual General Meeting during which shareholders approved all the resolutions on the agenda including the net dividend of €0.04 per share. The dividend will now be paid on 11 February.
  • Simonds Farsons Cisk maintains last week’s 7.1% jump as a further 3,092 shares change hands at the €1.80 level. Further bids outstanding at the last closing price whilst lowest offers still placed at the €1.90 level. Equity up 5.9% since the start of 2011.
  • On the Alternative Companies List, Loqus Holdings climbs 7.3% to the €0.161 level during this morning’s session on a single trade of 400 shares. Loqus has still not yet published the full-year results to 30 June 2010.