The share index extended yesterday’s gains as it closed 0.17 per cent higher at 4,392.446 points as the gains in the share prices of IHI and Lombard offset the slight decline in the equity of BOV.
For the second day in succession, the most actively traded equity was Bank of Valletta plc with 65,103 shares changing hands.
The equity closed minimally lower at the €2.43,8 level despite still trading with the entitlement to the final dividend. The final net dividend of 5c525 per share is payable on December 18 to those shareholders as at close of trading on November 13.
Moreover, a bonus share issue of one new share for every 12 shares is also being recommended. The cut-off date for the entitlement of the bonus shares is January 13, 2016.
Also in the banking sector, Lombard Bank advanced by 1.3 per cent to a new multi-year high of €2.28 across a single deal of 4,979 shares.
International Hotel Investments also gained 1.3 per cent and closed at the 81c level across 12,154 shares.
Last week, the IHI Group published its interim directors’ statement covering the nine-month period up to the end of September.
The company explained that during the period under review, the positive trends highlighted in the 2015 interim financial statements persisted during the third quarter of the year and expectations for the rest of the financial year remain buoyant.
IHI is anticipating a year of overall growth with new development and hotel management agreements expected to be entered into with third party investors in cities and resorts across Europe and the Gulf. Further announcements in this regard will be made at the opportune time.
Meanwhile, three equities closed the day unchanged. MaltaPost plc and RS2 Software plc held on to their respective all-time highs of €1.99 and €2.60 across 675 shares and 9,602 shares respectively.
The equity of HSBC retained yesterday’s gains as it closed at the €1.84,5 level across 19,050 shares.
On the bond market, the RF MGS Index dropped by a further 0.16 per cent to 1,137.048 points despite the slight decrease in the yield of the 10-year German Bund from yesterday’s level of 0.56 per cent to 0.55 per cent today.
Investors are still weighing in the possibility of an extension to the European Central Bank’s (ECB) quantitative easing policy at its next meeting early in December, balanced by better than expected economic data coming from the eurozone’s largest economies published yesterday.
www.rizzofarrugia.com