The share index opened the week 1.1 per cent higher at 4,384.848 points following gains in the share prices of five equities (IHI, HSBC, RS2, MaltaPost and MIA).
MaltaPost climbed to a new record while BOV virtually remained unchanged despite reporting record profits last Friday.
The equity of Medserv also traded unchanged notwithstanding trading without the entitlement to the net interim cash dividend of 8c per share as well as the four for five bonus share.
The most actively traded equity was Bank of Valletta following the publication of the 2014/15 financial results last Friday. BOV reported a 13.3 per cent increase in pre-tax profits to €117.9 million.
The directors are recommending the payment of a final gross dividend of 8c5 per share (final net dividend of 5c525 per share). Coupled with the gross interim dividend of 3c9 per share, the total gross dividend for the year remained unchanged at12c4 (net: 8c06) per share.
The final dividend is payable on December 18 to those shareholders as at close of trading on November 13. A bonus share issue of one new share for every 12 shares is also being recommended.
The cut-off date for the entitlement of the bonus shares is January 13, 2016. Despite the record profits, the equity closed virtually unchanged at the €2.43,9 level after recovering from an intra-day low of €2.40. Trading activity was high with 55,056 shares changing hands.
Also in the banking sector, HSBC almost recovered all of last week’s losses as it advanced by 2.5 per cent to the €1.84,5 level across 10,000 shares.
RS2 Software and MaltaPost broke into record territories as the share prices moved two per cent and 9.3 per cent higher to the €2.60 and €1.99 levels respectively albeit on low volumes.
The equity of International Hotel Investments advanced by 2.6 per cent to the 80c level across low volumes of 2,636 shares.
Last week, the IHI published its interim directors’ statement covering the nine-month period up to the end of September. The company explained that during the period under review, the positive trends highlighted in the 2015 interim financial statements persisted during the third quarter of the year and expectations for the rest of the financial year remain buoyant.
IHI is anticipating a year of overall growth with new development and hotel management agreements expected to be entered into with third party investors in cities and resorts across Europe and the Gulf. Further announcements in this regard will be made at the opportune time.
Malta International Airport also closed the day in positive territory as the equity of the airport operator advanced by 0.7 per cent to the €3.88,5 level across a single deal of 4,000 shares.
Meanwhile, four equities traded unchanged on shallow volumes. Simonds Farsons Cisk closed at the €6 level across 2,191 shares.
Two single deals of 4,390 and 1,000 shares left the equities of FIMBank and Grand Harbour Marina unchanged at the 43cUS and €1 levels respectively.
Despite trading without the entitlement to the net interim cash dividend of 8c per share as well as the four for five bonus share, the equity of Medserv closed at the €3.15 level across insignificant volumes of 457 shares.
On the bond market, the RF MGS Index dropped by 0.4 per cent to 1,138.837 points as in an interview published this weekend, the President of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi failed to confirm market expectations that a further rate cut will be entertained during the forthcoming ECB Monetary Policy meeting set for the first week of December.