The share index ended practically unchanged at 3,426.744 points today as the declines in the share prices of HSBC and International Hotel Investments offset the gains registered by six other equities.
HSBC’s share price retreated by 0.5 per cent to close at the €2.02 level on volumes of just over 23,000 shares. HSBC is due to publish its 2014 financial statements on February 23.
Similarly, the share price of IHI initially dropped 3.8 per cent to an intra-day low of 62c5 probably in view of this morning’s terrorist attack on the hotel in Tripoli, Libya.
Nonetheless, the equity partially rebounded by the end of this morning’s trading session to end the day 1.5 per cent lower at the 64c level on total volumes of 13,300 shares.
On the other hand, Bank of Valletta edged 0.5 per cent higher to €2.07 across 20 deals comprising 45,528 shares.
Also in the banking sector, Lombard Bank’s equity edged 1.1 per cent higher to close at the €1.85 level for the first time since mid-August 2012 on volumes of 26,831 shares.
Trading activity in GO remained healthy with a total of 28,616 shares changing hands today. The equity recovered from an intra-day low of €2.57 to end the session 0.2 per cent higher at the €2.60 level.
In the property sector, the share price of Tigné Mall jumped 5.5 per cent to reach a fresh all-time high of 65c on very high volumes of 245,000 shares. Similarly, Malita Investments edged 2.8 per cent higher to recapture its all-time high of 67c on a single trade of 1,000 shares.
MaltaPost advanced by 3.2 per cent to a fresh record of €1.30 on activity of 4,271 shares. On Friday, the postal operator is scheduled to pay out the final dividend recently approved by shareholders during the annual general meeting.
Meanwhile, a further 2,800 shares of Malta International Airport traded unchanged at the €2.45 level (just 0.5c below its all-time high) across two deals.
Last week, the airport operator announced that passenger movements during 2014 grew by 6.4 per cent and the company is expecting a further two per cent growth this year on the back of additional new routes and airlines operating from Malta.
MIA is now scheduled to publish its full-year financial results on February 24.
The only other active equity was 6pm Holdings with 2,000 shares changing hands at the 70p level.
On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index advanced by a further 0.3 per cent to reach yet another all-time high of 1,125.612 points despite a marginal rebound in the benchmark 10-year Eurozone yield from its lows of 0.342 per cent to around the 0.38 per cent level.
Long-term Malta Government Stock prices continued to rally following last week’s quantitative easing announcement by the European Central Bank.
Likewise, in the corporate bond market, some bonds also continued to rise with a number of securities reaching new record levels including the six per cent Medserv 2020/23 at 110 per cent; 5.1 per cent PTL Holdings 2024 at 106 per cent; 5.3 per cent United Finance 2023 at 105 per cent.
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