Local equity market back into negative territory

After three sessions of gains, the MSE Share Index retreated by 0.3% during this morning’s session to 3,356.894 points. This was mainly due to the 1.3% reversal of yesterday’s gains in HSBC Bank Malta plc which drifted back to the €3.00 level across six trades totalling 27,823 shares. Lombard Bank Malta plc also traded lower as its share price eased 0.5% lower to €2.935 on weak volumes of 1,000 shares.

Meanwhile, Bank of Valletta plc closed unchanged at the €2.89 level after failing to hold on to an intra-day high of €2.899 across eighteen trades amounting to over 32,000 shares. Investors have until next Monday 9 May to gain entitlement to the recently declared gross interim dividend of €0.0625 per share.

Similarly, RS2 Software plc maintained the €0.50 level on volumes of 22,500 shares. This equity turns ex-dividend on 11 May.

Following yesterday’s 9.4% jump, the share price of Middlesea Insurance plc climbed another 2.2% today to regain the €0.95 level ahead of the publication of details on the mandatory bid by Mapfre Internacional subject to the regulator’s approval of the acquisition of Munich Re’s 19.9% shareholding by Mapfre. Further details available from https://rizzofarrugia.com/news-events/2011/mapfre-seeks-majority-shareholding-in-middlesea-insurance-plc/

GO plc’s share price ended the session in positive territory for the first time in almost a month. This equity inched 0.7% higher to €1.339 across thirteen deals totalling 39,700 shares. Despite today’s marginal upturn, the equity is still 30.3% below its value at the beginning of the year. Tomorrow marks the last day for investors to gain entitlement to the net dividend of €0.05 per share.