The MSE Share Index rounded up a positive week with the sixth consecutive daily increase as it jumped 0.6 per cent during this morning’s session to a fresh two and a half year high of 3,533.412 points.
Bank of Valletta plc’s equity advanced by a further 1.5 per cent to yet another five-and-a-half year high of €2.66 across 20 trades totalling 34,381 shares as demand for these shares remained strong ahead of the cut-off date for the final dividend of 13c per share on Thursday.
Similarly, the share price of Malta International Airport plc climbed by 1.9 per cent to a fresh all-time high of €2.14 across five deals totalling 25,000 shares. The airport operator is expected to publish its October traffic statistics in the coming days.
Amongst the large cap equities, International Hotel Investments plc also edged higher with a minimal increase to the 76c level on volumes of 10,000 shares.
MaltaPost plc recovered most of yesterday’s 3.6 per cent drop with a 2.8 per cent rise today to regain the €1.09 level on a single deal of 3,213 shares. This afternoon, the postal operator announced that its board of directors is scheduled to meet on December 6 to consider and approve the company’s full-year results.
The only other positive performing equity was Malita Investments plc with a 0.4 per cent increase to a new all-time high of 53c3 across two deals totalling 20,000 shares.
On the other hand, the shares of Middlesea Insurance plc eased 2.4 per cent lower to 83c on an insignificant deal of 64 shares.
Meanwhile, HSBC Bank Malta plc held on to the €2.65 level across 14,160 shares. Similarly, no changes were registered in the share prices of GO plc and Simonds Farsons Cisk plc.
The equity of the quad play telecoms operator held on to the €1.54 level on low volumes of 2,000 shares and a single deal of 3,000 Farsons shares was executed at the €2.85 level.
In the IT sector, RS2 Software plc maintained the €2.30 level on a small deal of 975 shares. The company this afternoon announced that Barclays Bank plc acquired a further 8.25 per cent stake in RS2 in addition to the 10 per cent shareholding it had originally acquired.
Local investors now await the interim directors’ statements of all listed companies with a December year-end which should be published over the next few days. These announcements will provide an update on the respective company’s performance since the half-year end.
On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index edged 0.2 per cent higher to 1,020.346 points largely reflecting yesterday afternoon’s decline in Eurozone yields to below the 1.7 per cent level after the European Central Bank (ECB) announced that it cut its reference rate by 25 basis points to a historically low 0.25 per cent to combat the declining rate of inflation in the region.
This morning, Eurozone yields minimally rebounded to regain the 1.7 per cent level on increased speculation that the US Federal Reserve with start tightening its monetary stance before March 2014.
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