The share index extended yesterday’s gain by a further 0.04 per cent to 4,502.805 points on strong trading activity of just over €630,000.

Most notably, the equity of Malta International Airport advanced by 1.2 per cent to a new all-time high of €4.35 across 4,388 shares.

On Monday, the airport operator announced the 2015 traffic results and the passenger forecast for 2016. Last year, MIA registered a further increase of 7.7 per cent in passenger movements (its sixth consecutive annual record) principally on the back of increased seat capacity as well as an improved seat load factor.

Moreover, MIA is expecting a further 2.4 per cent growth in passenger numbers in 2016 to yet another record of at least 4.73 million passenger movements. The company is expected to announce its 2015 full year results on February 24.

The most active equity during this morning’s session was RS2 Software as 103,425 shares, valued at almost €338,000 and representing over 50 per cent of today’s value traded, changed hands with the share price edging 0.2 per cent higher to regain the €3.27 level.

Similarly, positive movements were also registered in the share price of GO with a 1.6 per cent increase to €3.15 albeit on shallow volumes of 2,295 shares. This morning, GO announced that it exercised its option of increasing its stake in the Cypriot telecoms company Cablenet from the current level of 25 per cent to 51 per cent.

Among the large caps, the share price of HSBC edged 0.3 per cent higher to €1.79,5 across 11,510 shares. HSBC is expected to announce its 2015 preliminary full-year results on February 22.

Two single deals of 8,900 and 1,200 shares pushed the equities of Medserv and Malita Investments up by 4.2 per cent and 0.1 per cent to the €1.75 and 95c1 levels respectively.

Following the closure of subscription for Medserv’s rights issue to eligible shareholders and the intermediaries’ Offers, applications for the lapsed rights are now being received.

Last Friday, the oil and gas logistics company unveiled that it was awarded two full service logistics contracts offshore Libya having an estimated value of between of €2 to €3 million.

These are expected to commence in the second quarter of 2016 and will require Medserv to utilise both their Malta Base facilities and their Libyan Branch.

Meanwhile, four equities closed the day in negative territory. Bank of Valletta closed marginally lower at €2.24,9 compared to yesterday’s closing price of €2.25 across healthy volumes totalling 75,201 shares and having a total value of €168,600.

Also in the banking sector, FIMBank shed four per cent to 60c5US (7,418 shares) and Lombard Bank closed 2.6 per cent lower at the €2.42 level (6,200 shares).

A single deal comprising 20,000 shares of Midi was executed at the 35c level representing a 3.6 per cent drop from the previous closing price.

Meanwhile, Malta Properties Company remained unchanged at the 58c level across 57,900 shares.

On the bond market, the RF MGS Index advanced by 0.28 per cent to 1,140.538 points despite marginal changes in the yield of the benchmark 10-year German Bund at the 0.49 per cent level).

The governing council of the European Central Bank is scheduled to meet tomorrow to reassess its monetary policy stance. Notwithstanding the recent sharp drop in the prices of oil, eurozone bond markets are not expecting any additional actions from the ECB during tomorrow’s meeting despite the prevailing weak inflation.

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