The MSE Share Index closed today’s session marginally higher at 4,692.754 points as the positive performances in BOV, HSBC and Tigné Mall were mostly offset by declines in another six equities including IHI and PG. Meanwhile, a further four equities ended the session unchanged.

Most of today’s trading activity took place in the equity of Malta International Airport plc which maintained the €4.20 level on high volumes totalling 84,316 shares having a market value of €0.35 million and representing 67.5% of the total value of equities traded. Tomorrow, the equity will start trading without the entitlement to the recently declared net interim dividend of €0.03 per share.

Also among the large companies by market capitalisation, GO plc finished unchanged at the €3.599 level after recovering from an intra-day low of €3.50 (-2.8%). A total of 5,500 shares changed hands.

RS2 Software plc also retained the €1.789 level across 16,000 shares. RS2 is expected to publish its 2017 interim results by the end of this month.

Similarly, a single deal of just 1,200 shares left the equity of Lombard Bank Malta plc unchanged at the €2.36 level. Lombard is due to release its six-month financial results on Thursday August 24.

The equities of both Bank of Valletta plc and HSBC Bank Malta plc performed positively today. BOV gained 0.1% to a near three-week high of €2.149 across 35,039 shares while four deals totalling 6,722 shares lifted HSBC 0.5% higher to the €1.92 level.

Tigne’ Mall plc soared 8.9% to regain the €0.98 level, albeit on trivial volumes of just 1,000 shares.

Within the same segment, Malta Properties Company plc dropped 2.8% back to the €0.515 level on insignificant volumes of 1,521 shares whilst two deals totalling 27,000 shares pulled the equity of Malta Investments plc 1.2% lower back to the €0.75 level.

The other active equities today were IHI, PG, MaltaPost and Santumas. All four equities closed the day in negative territory on weak volumes. International Hotel Investments plc and Santumas Shareholdings plc shed 0.5% and 2.2% to €0.615 and €2.151 respectively. Also on Thursday 24 August, IHI is due to reveal its interim results as at 30 June 2017.

PG plc retreated by 0.7% from its all-time high of €1.40 back to the €1.39 level on a single deal of 1,410 shares whilst MaltaPost plc retreated by 0.3% to the €1.975 level across 1,000 shares.

On the bond market, the RF MGS Index posted a three-day positive streak today as it advanced by a further 0.09% to a four-day high of 1,130.038 points. While no important economic data was issued today, eurozone sovereign yields trended lower as bond markets turned their attention to the Korean peninsula where the US and South Korea jointly commenced a 10-day simulative military drill.

Furthermore, bond yields were also dampened by yet further uncertainty on President Trump’s ability at pushing through his pro-growth and tax reform agenda. Meanwhile, in a monthly report issued by the Bundesbank, Germany’s central bank stated that it is expecting the German economy to grow by a faster rate than earlier anticipated on the back of exceptionally strong industrial production, exports and consumption.

www.rizzofarrugia.com

Stock markets are volatile and subject to fluctuations which cannot be reasonably foreseen. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

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