The share index posted its third consecutive decline as it retreated by a further 0.07 per cent to 4,518.345 points on continued low activity at only €173,500.
Ahead of the publication of the 2015 full-year results expected later on this afternoon, RS2 Software shed 2.1 per cent to a one-month low of €3.72 across 6,864 shares.
Medserv closed minimally lower at the €1.79,1 level (-0.3 per cent) across 7,600 shares. The company is due to hold its annual general meeting on May 30.
In contrast, following the declines of the past four trading sessions, Bank of Valletta managed to edge 0.3 per cent higher to the €2.21,8 level across 19,761 shares. Tomorrow, the bank will publish its interim financial results for the six months ended March 2016.
Meanwhile, 6pm Holdings climbed 4.7 per cent to a new all-time high of 92p across 36,645 shares.
Yesterday, the group revealed improved results for the 2015 financial year as net profits more than doubled from £0.81 million in 2014 to £1.69 million. The directors did not recommend the payment of a final dividend in the light of the interest being shown by third party investors to acquire all the shareholding of the company.
In this respect, an extraordinary general meeting was held this morning during which shareholders authorised the board of directors to furnish all the required information, including unpublished price sensitive information, to enable any bona fide offeror(s) and their respective advisors to make, confirm, withdraw or modify an offer to all shareholders in the company.
A single deal of 1,350 shares lifted the equity of Malta International Airport by 0.2 per cent to the €4.35 level. MIA is due to hold its annual general meeting on May 4.
HSBC (1,772 shares) and International Hotel Investments (58,500 shares) closed flat at €1.61 and 64c respectively. Last Friday, IHI published its 2015 financial results showing a marginal pre-tax loss of €0.35 million compared to a pre-tax loss of €29.8 million in 2014.
Looking ahead, the directors noted that they are following the developments in Libya with cautious optimism. In the meantime, IHI is awaiting the necessary planning approvals and is seeking funding for the St George’s Bay redevelopment project.
Furthermore, the group is pursuing other business opportunities for the development and management of new luxury Corinthia Hotels in Dubai, Rome, Brussels and Abuja.
Mapfre Middlesea held on to its near three-month low of €2.20 across shallow volumes. Today the equity started to trade without the entitlement to the recently declared net dividend of 3c826 per share which is payable on May 22.
On the bond market, the RF MGS Index ended an eight-day negative streak as it advanced by 0.24 per cent to 1,146.210 points.
Euro zone bond yields slumped after the Bank of Japan surprised markets by leaving its monetary policy unchanged and the US Federal Reserve gave no signal it would raise interest rates soon.
While the Fed has kept the door open to a June hike, it showed little sign that it was in a hurry to tighten monetary policy amid an apparent slowdown in the world's largest economy.
The 10-year benchmark German Bund yield slipped from yesterday’s 11-week high of nearly 0.31 per cent to a low of 0.22 per cent today.
The yields of the 10-year Italian and Spanish government papers widened. In particular, in Spain talks to form a new government broke down, meaning that new elections will take place in late June.
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