Following four consecutive sessions of increases, the share index was dragged 0.1 per cent lower to 3,384.178 points reflecting today’s decline in the share of Bank of Valletta.

The bank’s equity eased by 0.5 per cent back to the €2.09 level across 22 deals totalling 52,926 shares.

On the other hand, the share price of Lombard Bank edged 0.6 per cent higher to recapture the €1.81 level on low volumes of 2,000 shares. Similarly, its postal subsidiary, MaltaPost, edged 0.2 per cent higher to €1.21,2 on a single trade of 5,700 shares.

Meanwhile, the equity of Malta International Airport rebounded from an intra-day low of €2.41 to end this morning’s session unchanged at its all-time high of €2.42 on high volumes totalling 40,280 shares.

Similarly, GO shares ended this morning’s session unchanged at the €2.59,5 level after also recovering from an intra-day low of €2.58,5 across a total of 7,100 shares.

No trading activity took place in both Island Hotels Group Holdings and International Hotel Investments which took the market by surprise last Friday after IHI announced that it agreed to acquire IHG.

During today’s session, new buyers entered the market for IHG shares at a price of €1.02 but there are no shares on offer. In IHI, although bids are placed at 60c (above yesterday’s close of 59c), no trades took place with lowest offers at 62c.

On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index registered its seventh consecutive daily increase to yet another all-time high of 1,115.252 points as benchmark 10-year Eurozone yields slipped slightly lower to the 0.43 per cent level during this morning’s trading.

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