Daily Market Highlights (30.09.10)

  • Several equities active today – the last day of the third quarter. MSE Share Index eased 0.1% to close this morning’s session at 3,386.853 points as declines in HSBC, MIA and IHG outweigh the 2.1% recovery in FIMBank. Index ends the third quarter 0.7% higher mainly due to the positive performances of BOV, IHI, Plaza and RS2. Download a copy of today’s Equity Market Summary.
  • A substantial €3.5 million transacted in the 5.25% MGS 2030 (I) and the respective fungible issue. Meanwhile the Floating Rate MGS 2015 (V) traded for the first time since listing in November last year. A deal of €175,000 (nominal) of this stock changed hands at the 99.86% level. During the third quarter the Central Bank of Malta Stockbroker sharply raised its bid prices for government stocks as Eurozone declined on the back of fresh concerns on European sovereign debt particularly in Ireland, Portugal and Greece.
  • BOV maintained the €3.24 level on two trades amounting to 2,294 shares. The Bank’s equity ended the third quarter 4.9% higher to rank as the only financial equity listed on the Malta Stock Exchange to close in positive territory during the period under review.
  • Meanwhile HSBC edged marginally to €2.83 on volumes of 6,210 shares. Following today’s downturn, HSBC closed the third quarter unchanged.
  • FIMBank touched a new multi-year low of US$0.92 before fresh bids lifted the share price to the US$0.99 level representing a 2.1% increase over the previous close. Over 79,000 shares exchanged today with no bids in the market and further offers pitched at the last traded price.
  • MIA slumped 2.6% to €1.50 on a single trade of 1,400 shares. The share price of the airport operator closed in negative territory for the second consecutive month pushing the equity 7.4% lower during the third quarter of this year.
  • IHG Holdings slipped 1% to a new all-time low of €0.98 across 3,000 shares. IHG shares were offered last year at their nominal value of €1.00 and subsequently listed on 7 October.
  • GO and IHI closed unchanged on low volumes. A single trade of 2,200 GO shares transacted at the €1.83 level, representing a quarterly decline of 3.7%. IHI traded at the €0.85 level (a 6.3% increase over the previous quarter)across 577 shares only.
  • Single trades also transacted in Lombard and Middlesea. 905 Lombard shares traded at the €2.74 level, representing a quarterly decline of 5.5%. The Insurance equity also closed today’s session unchanged at the €0.93 level – 11.6% than its share price at the end of June.
  • MaltaPost traded unchanged at its 2010 high price of €0.90 across one deal of 5,000 shares. The postal operator now ranks as the best performing equity year to date with a 28.6% increase since the beginning of the year.