Trading activity across the equity market during this morning’s session of over €0.98 million is the highest daily activity so far this year.
HSBC Bank Malta plc was the most actively traded equity as sixteen deals totalling 149,000 shares were executed with the share price rising by 1.1% to the €2.749 level. Similarly, over 95,000 Bank of Valletta plc shares changed hands today with the share price again failing to hold on to an intra-day high of €2.299 but still end this morning’s session 0.4% higher at the €2.26 level.
High volumes were also registered in GO plc with over 72,800 shares changing hands on the back of the recently announced improvement in profitability and the reinstatement of the dividend. GO’s share price touched yet another 2-year high of €1.60 before easing back to close the session unchanged at the €1.57 level. GO shares will trade with the entitlement to the net dividend of €0.10 per share until close of trading next Tuesday 2 April.
Similarly, further demand for Malta International Airport plc shares emerged following the recent publication of record financial results and the unchanged dividend. The airport operator’s equity moved 0.5% higher to close at the €1.85 level on volumes of 88,400 shares.
In the property segment, MIDI plc’s share price inched minimally higher to regain the €0.315 level on high volumes of 86,967 shares. Meanwhile, Plaza Centres plc held on to the €0.575 level across 20,500 shares and Malita Investments plc maintained the €0.51 level on a single deal of just 2,000 shares.
RS2 Software plc also ended this morning’s session unchanged as just over 39,000 shares changed hands at the equity’s all-time high of €0.91. Meanwhile, MaltaPost plc shares eased 2% lower back to the €1.00 level across three trades totalling 4,857 shares.
Today, Tigne Mall plc issued a formal notice announcing the combined offering of 56,400,000 shares at €0.50 per share. MSV Life plc has entered into a pre-allocation agreement whereby it has undertaken to purchase 20,000,000 shares, equivalent to 35.5% of the total issued share capital. Application forms are available as from next Wednesday 27 March and the prospectus is available for download from www.rizzofarrugia.com
On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index registered its sixth consecutive increase with a further 0.1% rise to yet another 29-month high of 1,016.492 points in spite of a recovery in Eurozone yields which regained the 1.4% level. This morning’s upturn followed yesterday’s last-minute bailout deal for Cyprus but this was mostly offset by this afternoon’s dip back to the 1.375% as Italian politicians failed to break the parliamentary deadlock.
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