Trading volumes across the equity market during the last five trading sessions tumbled to their lowest levels in the last eight weeks with €0.82 million changing hands.
Activity was also thin during this morning’s session. In the financial sector, Bank of Valletta plc held on to the €2.27 level across seven trades totalling 13,555 shares as investors await the bank’s interim results (covering the six months ended March 31) due to be published next Thursday.
Similarly, there were no changes in the share prices of Lombard Bank Malta plc and Middlesea Insurance plc. A further 1,000 Lombard shares traded at the €1.95 level and Middlesea’s equity held on to its ex-dividend price of 89c5 across 15,000 shares.
Meanwhile, FIMBank plc advanced by 1 per cent to regain the US$1 level on a deal of 11,216 shares.
The share price of International Hotel Investments plc reversed the marginal decline incurred earlier this week with an equivalent 0.7 per cent increase to the 77c5 level across six trades totalling 48,000 shares.
Likewise, fresh bids helped the equity of Plaza Centres plc to partially recover yesterday’s 6.8 per cent decline with a 3.6 per cent uplift to regain the 57c level on low volumes of 3,000 shares.
Meanwhile, Malita Investments plc failed to preserve yesterday’s 3.7 per cent gain as its share price slipped back to the 51c level on a single trade of 1,000 shares.
A further 1,550 Malta International Airport plc shares traded unchanged at the €1.92 level and a single trade of 1,300 6pm Holdings plc shares was executed at the 49p level, unchanged from the previous close.
MaltaPost plc also continued to trade unchanged at the €1.05 level on low volumes of 4,177 shares. The postal operator is expected to publish its interim results (covering the six months ended March 31) in the next few weeks.
On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index edged minimally higher to 1,020.69 points as Eurozone yields slipped back below the 1.25 per cent level. Bunds remained in demand given the prevailing challenges in the Eurozone including the increasing probability of fresh elections in Italy. However, demand for other higher yielding riskier bonds was also sustained throughout the week.
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