Following four consecutive sessions of declines, the share price of Bank of Valletta plc closed 0.6 per cent higher to €2.46,5 across 20 deals totalling 32,280 shares.
Similarly, new demand entered the market helping the share price of HSBC Bank Malta plc gain 1.2 per cent to €2.60 on volumes of 9,400 shares. The equity regained the €2.60 level for the first time in three weeks ahead of the publication of the annual financial statements on February 24.
The equity of GO plc also trended in positive territory registering its third consecutive gain with a further one per cent increase to a new three-and-a-half year high of €1.95 across 7,200 shares.
These gains helped the MSE Share Index rise by 0.2 per cent to a fresh three-year high of 3,711.201 points.
The positive movements in these three equities helped offset declines in a number of share prices including a 0.5 per cent drop in Malta International Airport plc to €2.19 on a single deal of 1,000 shares. The airport operator this morning announced that passenger movements during the month of January increased by 11.2 per cent to a record 199,354 movements. The increased passenger traffic was due to a 10.6 per cent increase in seat capacity combined with a 0.3 percentage point increase in the seat load factor to 66.6 per cent.
A single deal of 3,000 FIMBank plc shares was executed at the US95c level representing a 3.1 per cent drop from the previous closing price.
Middlesea Insurance plc and Plaza Centres plc also retreated from their recent highs. The equity of Middlesea slipped two per cent lower back to the 98c level on low volumes of 1,809 shares. Similarly, the share price of Plaza Centres shed five per cent back to the 57c level across 5,220 shares.
Meanwhile, five other equities closed the day unchanged. In the IT sector, a further 2,200 shares RS2 Software plc changed hands at the €2.30 level. Likewise, Crimsonwing plc held on to the 81c level across 53,590 shares in anticipation of the interim directors’ statement due shortly.
Similarly, in the property sector, Malita Investments plc maintained the €0.54 level on low volumes of 6,200 shares and Tigné Mall plc traded unchanged at the €0.515 level on a single deal of 38,500 shares.
The only other active equity was MaltaPost plc with a single trade comprising 11,229 shares changing hands at the €1.10 level representing no change from the previous close. The postal operator is expected to publish its interim directors’ statement in the coming weeks to update the market on its performance since the start of the current financial year on October 1.
On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index eased minimally lower for the second consecutive session to 1,027.423 points despite a further dip in Eurozone yields back to the 1.61 per cent level. Yields have remained under pressure from the turmoil in emerging markets as well as deflation risks across the Eurozone which are both supporting the case for further monetary stimulus from the European Central Bank (ECB) during tomorrow’s monthly policy meeting.
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