During the final trading session of 2015, the share index advanced by 0.34 per cent to 4,430.985 points as five equities registered gains and only BOV finished in negative territory on very thin trading volumes (€90,570).
2015 was an exceptionally positive year for the local stock market as most equities performed strongly on high trading volumes (the highest level since 2006). Three equities – Mapfre Middlesea, Medserv and RS2 Software – more than doubled in value over the past 12 months.
Bank of Valletta eased marginally lower today to €2.35 (-0.2 per cent) across 5,000 shares. The bank’s shares will trade with the entitlement for the one for 12 bonus share issue until January 13 and will turn ex-bonus from the following trading day.
On the other hand, FIMBank and HSBC rebounded by 1.5 per cent and 1.2 per cent to 66cUS (12,000 shares) and €1.76,2 (2,900 shares) respectively.
Among the large caps, Malta International Airport and GO also trended higher. The equity of MIA advanced by 0.8 per cent to the €4.03 level across low volumes totalling 3,100 shares.
Last week, the airport operator announced that it is expecting a record 4.6 million passengers during the whole of 2015 (+7.3 per cent compared to 2014).
MIA also revealed plans for a €78 million capital investment programme comprising a number of rehabilitation and upgrade initiatives as well as a €40 million business centre (branded SkyParks 2).
The equity of GO closed above the €3 mark for the first time in over a month as it closed 0.7 per cent higher at the €3.02 level across 7,000 shares.
Malta Properties Company also closed in positive territory at the 50c5 level (+ one per cent) across 30,570 shares.
The other two active equities today both closed unchanged, namely International Hotel Investments plc (75c) and RS2 Software (€3.16).
On the bond market, the RF MGS Index slipped by 0.33 per cent to a seven-week low of 1,133.009 points as the yield of the benchmark 10-year German Bund advanced from the 0.59 per cent level of yesterday to 0.64 per cent despite renewed downward pressures on the prices of oil and downbeat comments on the outlook of the world economy in 2016 from the International Monetary Fund.
Notwithstanding today’s negative performance, the RF MGS Index is still up by 2.7 per cent year-on-year, after going through a particularly volatile period during which it touched a high of 1,176.006 points in mid-April (6.6 per cent above the 2014 year-end level) and a low of 1,105.114 (early January 2015).
Most significantly, the 10-year German Bund yield surged from a record low of 0.05 per cent in mid-April to slightly above one per cent by early June.
The next trading session on the Malta Stock Exchange will now take place on Monday.
We wish our readers all the best for a prosperous and a healthy new year!