The share price of Bank of Valletta plc slipped back into negative territory with a 0.6 per cent drop back to the €2.45,1 level on volumes of 23,361 shares.
On the other hand, new bids lifted the share price of RS2 Software plc 1.3 per cent higher to regain the €2.33 level (just 5c below its all-time high of €2.38). A total of 22,490 shares changed hands today.
Meanwhile, all other active equities ended this morning’s session unchanged. Therefore, given the larger weighting of BOV in the local equity market, the MSE Share Index retreated by 0.1 per cent to 3,707.353 points.
The equity of HSBC Bank Malta plc ended the session unchanged at the €2.60 level after failing to hold on to an intra-day high of €2.62 across five deals totalling 12,468 shares. The bank is scheduled to publish its full-year results on February 24.
Also GO plc held on to its multi-year high of €1.95 on volumes of 5,985 shares. Low volumes were also transacted in Crimsonwing plc as the equity maintained the 81c level on a trade of 2,543 shares.
Similarly, a further 4,703 shares of MaltaPost plc traded at the €1.10 level in anticipation of the company’s interim directors’ statement publication in the coming weeks to update the market on its performance since the start of the current financial year on October 1.
The only other active equity was Simonds Farsons Cisk plc which ended the session unchanged at its all-time high of €2.95 on a single trade of 400 shares.
On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index was practically unchanged at 1,027.468 points despite an uptick in Eurozone yields this morning.
By this afternoon, Eurozone yields continued to edge higher to recapture the 1.66 per cent level after the European Central Bank held its benchmark interest rate unchanged at the historically low level of 0.25 per cent. The ECB decide to maintain its policy as the marginal improvement shown in the region’s economic data counterbalanced the risks of deflation. Nonetheless, markets will now be focused on the revised forecasts of the ECB which will be published next month.
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