During the last trading day for investors to gain entitlement to the one for 11 bonus share issue of Bank of Valletta, the equity jumped 2.7 per cent to regain the €2.28 level across 16 deals totalling 43,700 shares.

The equity turns ex-bonus as from tomorrow with the bonus shares expected to be admitted to the official list of the Malta Stock Exchange in the subsequent days.

The share price of Lombard Bank Malta also performed positively with the equity initially touching an intra-day low of €1.72,5 before rallying to end the session at the €1.80 level (just 1c below its 2014 high) representing a 1.7 per cent increase from the previous closing price.

Trading activity increased to a total of 55,165 shares. Meanwhile, low volumes were transacted in International Hotel Investments with only 500 shares changing hands at the 57c level, up 1.8 per cent from the previous closing price.

Another positive performer was Medserv with an increase of 0.7 per cent to regain its 16-month high of €1.47 on volumes of 16,434 shares.

The share price of Plaza Centres also edged 1.5 per cent higher to a fresh two-and-a-half-year high of 68c across a single deal of 15,000 shares. Similarly, Simonds Farsons Cisk shares rose by 0.6 per cent to reach a new all-time high of €3.07 on low volumes of 1,365 shares.

On the other hand, the share price of HSBC trended lower for the fourth consecutive session with a decline of a further 1.2 per cent to €1.95,6 on low volumes of 4,315 shares.

The only other negative performing equity was MIDI with an 8.7 per cent plunge back to its all-time low of 21c across six deals totalling 210,550 shares.

The only other active equity was Malta International Airport as the equity held on to its all-time high of €2.40 across two deals totalling 9,000 shares.

On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index trended higher for the third consecutive session with a further 0.1 per cent increase to yet another all-time high of 1,110.18 points as Eurozone yields touched a new all-time low of 0.427 per cent.

Yields dropped this morning after the European Central Bank welcomed the opinion of the advocate general of the European Court of Justice that bond buying falls within the remit of the ECB.

Furthermore, the ECB confirmed that the bond purchase programme plan is ready and available.

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