Yesterday’s marginal drop in the share index proved short-lived as it rebounded by 0.1% to 4,647.789 points – the highest reading since mid-April 2008.
Trading activity was spread across 11 equities with four moving higher, another four registered declines whilst HSBC, IHI and Mapfre Middlesea closed the day unchanged. Volumes dropped to €0.19 million – the lowest in the last four trading sessions.
Malta International Airport regained the €4.10 level (+1.2%) across 5,650 shares. The Company is expected to publish the 2016 traffic results and the passenger forecast for 2017 in the coming days.
GO climbed 0.6% to a fresh near eight-month high of €3.30 after recovering from an intra-day low of €3.26 (-0.6%). A total of 9,775 shares traded.
In the property segment, Tigne’ Mall erased most of yesterday’s drop as it bounced back by 3.5% to the €1.18 level across 6,350 shares.
Malita Investments finished the day minimally higher at 85c8 across 15,500 shares.
In contrast, Plaza Centres was the worst performing equity today with a decline of 1.9% to the €1.06 level albeit on shallow volumes totalling 2,500 shares.
Thin trading activity also took place in the equity of Malta Properties Company which lost 1.6% to a one-month low of 57c1.
MaltaPost eased 1% from its all-time high of €2.08 to the €2.06 level across 6,400 shares.
Bank of Valletta plc retreated to the €2.27 level (-0.2%) on volumes totalling 34,007 shares. The equity will continue trading with the entitlement to the one for 13 bonus share issue until Thursday.
On the other hand, HSBC maintained the €1.94,5 level across 8,412 shares. The HSBC board of directors is set to meet on February 21 to consider and approve the preliminary statement of annual results for 2016 and also consider the declaration of a final dividend to be recommended during the annual general meeting to be held on April 13.
Last Friday, the bank also announced the redemption of its €58.2 million 4.6% subordinated bonds on February 1.
International Hotel Investments and Mapfre Middlesea also closed flat today at 62c and €2.25 respectively on insignificant volumes.
On the bond market, the RF MGS Index posted its first uplift in the last seven days as it moved 0.28% higher to 1,136.055 points. Euro zone sovereign yields retreated following the significant surge recently. The benchmark 10-year German Bund yield eased to 0.28% today from a three-week high of 0.326% yesterday.
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