A total of 127,000 Malta International Airport plc shares changed hands this morning.
The share price of the airport operator eased 0.6 per cent lower, back to the €1.79 level despite the record passenger numbers for 2012 and the further growth expected in 2013.
Earlier this week, MIA revealed its 10th consecutive monthly record with an eight per cent growth in passenger movements to 179,243 on the back of a 1.1 percentage point rise in the average seat load factor to 66.3 per cent as well as a 6.2 per cent growth in capacity to 270,400 seats.
MIDI plc shares also closed in negative territory today with a 7.1 per cent plunge back to the 26c level across two trades totalling 56,000 shares.
Meanwhile, the share prices of GO plc and MaltaPost plc maintained their upward trend.
GO’s equity advanced by a further 0.4 per cent to yet another fresh 18-month high of €1.37,5 on volumes of 6,735 shares.
Similarly, the postal operator’s share price edged one per cent higher to regain the €1.04 level for the first time since June 2011 on volumes of 21,621 shares.
In the banking sector, Bank of Valletta plc recovered some of the recent declines with a 0.9 per cent increase to the €2.25 level across seven trades totalling 36,913 shares.
The bank is shortly expected to publish its interim directors’ statement explaining its performance since the start of the current financial year on October 1.
Similarly, the share price of Lombard Bank Malta plc recouped 1.6 per cent from near its all-time lows to regain the €1.89 level across two trades totalling 14,000 shares ahead of its 2012 results publication on March 14.
On the other hand, HSBC Bank Malta plc maintained the €2.72 level on volumes of just over 36,000 shares. The bank is scheduled to publish its preliminary 2012 full-year results on March 4.
On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index eased 0.1 per cent lower to 1,007.823 points in spite of a continued decline in benchmark 10-year German Bund yields which currently lie just below the 1.62 per cent level.
Demand for safe-haven assets surged in recent days due to increasing political uncertainty in Spain and Italy.
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