Daily Market Highlights (21.12.16)

  • The MSE Share Index dropped by 0.8% from yesterday’s 8-month high at 4,564.844 points following declines in some of the large cap equities, namely BOV, IHI and MIA. GlobalCapital also returned a negative performance today whilst GO, RS2, Plaza and MIDI moved higher. Meanwhile, no changes were recorded in the share prices of HSBC, FIMBank and MaltaPost. Download a copy of today’s Equity Market Summary.
  • On the bond market, the RF MGS Index trended higher for the fourth consecutive session with a further 0.4% increase to 1,154.598 points as the benchmark 10-year Eurozone yield continued to slip lower back to a 4-week low of 0.238%. The continued pressure on the benchmark Eurozone yield was largely due to the prevailing turmoil across the Italian banking sector. Furthermore, Spanish banks were also today hit with an unfavourable ruling by the EU court which could result in a significant payout to clients. Meanwhile, this afternoon, the Italian government approved a €20 billion bailout fund to support the country’s ailing banks including Monte Dei Paschi di Siena.
  • Bank of Valletta plc shed 0.3% to €2.269 across twelve deals totalling 53,489 shares. Last Friday, the Bank paid out the final gross dividend of €0.0852 per share (net: €0.05538) following approval at the Annual General Meeting. The equity will trade with the entitlement to the 1 for 13 bonus issue until 12 January 2017 and will turn ex-bonus as from Monday 16 January 2017.
  • International Hotel Investments plc also trended in negative territory today with a 6.7% drop back to the €0.613 level across four deals totalling 31,927 shares.
  • Similarly, Malta International Airport plc eased 0.3% lower back to the €4.05 level across ten deals totalling 21,415 shares. Yesterday, MIA issued a press release to announce that it has welcome its 5 millionth passenger this year, a new record for MIA in terms of passenger movements.
  • The only other negative performing equity today was GlobalCapital plc with a 6.8% drop to €0.41 on a single trade of 1,690 shares.
  • On the other hand, the share price of GO plc edged minimally higher to close this morning’s session at the €3.25 level on volumes of 16,848 shares.
  • Likewise, the share price of RS2 Software plc continued to recover and advanced by a further 1.3% to recapture the €1.701 level across seven trades totalling 32,500 shares.
  • In the property segment, Plaza Centres plc edged 0.2% higher to €1.102 on a single deal of 10,000 shares. Similarly, MIDI plc moved 1.5% higher to regain the €0.355 level across 15,000 shares.
  • Meanwhile, HSBC Bank Malta plc closed unchanged after a highly a volatile session. Trading in the bank’s equity ranged from a 33-month high of €1.945 to an intra-day low of €1.867 before ending unchanged at the €1.91 level on heightened activity of 102,743 shares.
  • FIMBank plc maintained the USD0.85 level on volumes of 81,000 shares.
  • Likewise, MaltaPost plc held on to its previous day’s closing price of €2.05 albeit on shallow activity of 240 shares.