The MSE Share Index registered its sixth consecutive gain with a further 0.2 per cent increase to 3,404.322 points representing a year-to-date uplift of six per cent.

It is also encouraging that volumes rebounded during this morning’s session with €426,441 worth of shares traded.

Today’s increase in the local share index was mainly due to the 0.7 per cent rise in the share price of HSBC Bank Malta plc to €2.71 after recovering from an intra-day low of €2.64 across 12 deals totalling 26,824 shares.

The equity of Middlesea Insurance plc also edged marginally higher to end the session at the 81c1 level on low volumes of 1,319 shares.

On the other hand, RS2 Software plc eased by 0.9 per cent to the €1.10 level across 2,133 shares. RS2 is scheduled to hold its annual general meeting tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, higher volumes were traded across the other two active equities.

Bank of Valletta plc recovered from an intra-day low of €2.25,1 to end the session unchanged at the €2.27 level on volumes of 62,240 shares.

In contrast, FIMBank plc failed to hold on to an intra-day high of $1.02,5 to also end this morning’s session unchanged at the US$1 level on very high volumes of 275,000 shares.

On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index slipped a further 0.1 per cent lower to a new 10-week low of 1,018.248 points as Eurozone yields surpassed the 1.6 per cent level for the first time since late February 2013.

By this afternoon, the benchmark 10-year Bund yield touched an intra-day high of 1.657 per cent on concerns that the various stimulus measures enacted by Central Banks around the globe that have supported equity markets in recent months will be slowed down.

Concerns were reignited following the hold and wait decision by the Bank of Japan similar to the decisions taken by the European Central Bank and the Bank of England.

The US Federal Reserve is scheduled to hold its next monetary policy meeting on June 20.

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