The equity of Malta International Airport plc kicked this year’s trading on the stock exchange on a positive note as the airport operator’s share price edged 2.1% higher to regain its all-time high of €2.40 across six deals totalling 5,141 shares. MIA’s share price ended 2014 8.8% higher on the back of yet another record year in terms of passenger numbers with the final figures for 2014 and a forecast for 2015 expected to be published in the coming weeks.
Positive movements were also registered across the two large banks, with Bank of Valletta plc jumping 2.2% to regain the €2.29 level on high volumes of 32,453 shares. Similarly, new bids lifted the share price of HSBC Bank Malta plc 3.6% higher to recapture the €2.02 level for the first time in 10 weeks albeit on shallow volumes of 8,204 shares.
GO plc also trended in positive territory during the first local trading session for 2015, with a 1.2% increase to regain the €2.58 level on low volumes of 1,580 shares.
On the other hand, the share price of Lombard Bank Malta plc slipped 2.7% back to the €1.75 level across four deals totalling just over 8,000 shares.
Nonetheless, the MSE Share Index closed this morning’s session in positive territory with a 1.5% uplift to 3,380.581 points.
Meanwhile, the equity of International Hotel Investments plc held on to the €0.579 level on just 3,750 shares.
Likewise, Middlesea Insurance plc ended today’s session unchanged at the €0.994 level after rebounding from an intra-day low of €0.905 across a total of 19,444 shares.
The only other active equity was Santumas Shareholdings plc with just 15 shares trading unchanged at the €2.00 level.
Meanwhile, on the bond market, the RF MGS Index kicked off 2015 with a further 0.2% increase to yet another all-time high of 1,105.114 points as Eurozone yields tumbled to fresh lows of just below the 0.5% level. The benchmark 10-year German Bund yields remain under pressure in view of the threat of deflation across the region and the renewed political uncertainty in Greece.
www.rizzofarrugia.com