The MSE Share Index trended lower for the third consecutive session with a further 0.2% drop to 4,475.627 points largely reflecting the 0.3% decline in the share price of Bank of Valletta plc to the €2.324 level across sixteen trades totalling just over 45,000 shares.
The bank is scheduled to hold its Annual General Meeting next Thursday during which shareholders will be asked to approve a number of resolutions including those related to the dividend and bonus share issue as well as the election of six directors from the seven nominees.
Also in the financial sector, the equity of Mapfre Middlesea plc shed 6.1% back to the €2.15 level albeit on a small deal of 170 shares.
Shallow volumes were also evident in FIMBank plc with just 450 shares changing hands at the USD0.692 level representing a 0.3% drop from the previous closing price.
Medserv plc shares also trended in negative territory with a 0.9% decline back to the €2.10 level also on low volumes of 1,160 shares.
On the other hand, the share price of GO plc rebounded by 1.7% to €2.95 across 10,100 shares.
Likewise, the equities of HSBC Bank Malta plc and Lombard Bank Malta plc edged marginally higher to €1.785 (2,400 shares) and €2.411 (5,000 shares) respectively.
Meanwhile, Malta Properties Company plc maintained the €0.50 level across a single trade of 3,000 shares.
Similarly, Malta International Airport plc held on to the €4.00 level on a single deal of 1,000 shares.
It is also noteworthy to highlight that today was the last day for investors to gain entitlement to MaltaPost plc’s net final dividend of €0.04 per share. The equity turns ex-dividend as from tomorrow.
Santumas Shareholdings plc this morning announced that all resolutions during last Friday’s Annual General Meeting were approved including a 1 for 10 bonus issue which will be distributed to all shareholders as at the close of trading on 6 January.
On the bond market, the RF MGS Index eased 0.2% lower to 1,140.346 points as the benchmark 10-year German Bund yield marginally rebounded to just below the 0.58% level. However, by this afternoon, the benchmark 10-year Bund yield slipped back to the 0.56% level on inflation concerns with the price of oil hitting yet another multi-year low.
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