The MSE Equity Total Return Index returned to positive territory as it advanced by 0.42 per cent. A total of 18 issues were active during the week of which eight ticked higher while six were a drag on the index. The most notable positive movers were FIMBank plc and Trident Estates plc as they posted noteworthy gains of 9.68 per cent and 6.49 per cent respectively.
Bank of Valletta plc was unsurprisingly the most liquid equity as a total of 199,793 shares changed hands across 50 transactions.
During the week the equity continued to oscillate in last week’s price range, as it was dragged back to €1.81, cancelling out the previous week’s gain.
FIMBank plc returned to the €0.68 level, a price which it had not managed to reach for over three weeks. The equity hiked by an impressive 9.68 per cent across four deals of 17,500 shares.
Two trades worth a combined €34,202 of Lombard Bank Malta plc shares also had a positive effect on the equity as it gained 1.74 per cent to close at €2.34.
The only banking equity not to register a price movement was HSBC Bank Malta plc, which closed unchanged at €1.82.
GO plc recovered the losses registered in the previous week, climbing 1.71 per cent to return to the €3.56 price level.
The property sector had a very positive week as four equities posted solid gains. The strongest performance was a 7.03 per cent gain registered by Trident Estates plc, extending its impressive rally to three successive weeks.
The equity was negotiated across 21 transactions of 28,429 shares and closed at €1.98.
MIDI plc closed in the green, climbing 2.89 per cent to reach the price of €0.356. Trading volumes totalled 207,000 shares across seven transactions. Malita plc was also traded somewhat heavily as 124,300 shares were exchanged over 26 deals. The outcome was an advancement at €0.83.
Similarly, Malta Properties Company plc increased in value by 1.69 per cent to €0.482 across seven deals of 54,720 shares.
Plaza Centres plc was also active in the property sector, however it closed unchanged at €1.01 despite trading volumes of 46,000 shares.
MaltaPost plc held its annual general meeting on February 9 during which it approved the audited financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2017. On Monday, the company announced that a net dividend of €0.04 per nominal €0.25 share shall be distributed, representing a final net payment of €1,506,189.
International Hotel Investments plc shares were once again in the red, as the equity contracted by 1.59 per cent, closing at €0.62.
On a positive note, Malta International Airport plc experienced a 1.22 per cent appreciation in share price, as the equity closed at a one-month high of €4.96.
RS2 Software plc shares extended their negative streak to seven consecutive weeks, as the equity settled at 1.5 per cent lower to close at €1.31 after touching a low of €1.30 on Tuesday.
Retail conglomerate, PG plc gave up a small portion of the solid gains registered in the previous week. The equity slipped by 0.71 per cent to end the week at €1.39.
A single transaction of 2,000 Santumas Shareholdings plc shares shaved 0.66 per cent off the equity price, settling at €1.50. Similarly, two deals of 2,000 Tigne Mall plc shares each, dragged the share price down by 1.94 per cent to €1.01.
Simonds Farsons Cisk plc traded 12 times this week while Mapfre Middlesea was traded three times, however both equities closed unchanged.
On Monday, GlobalCapital plc announced the resignation of Chief Operations Officer (COO) Paul Said.
A further announcement shall be made in due course regarding the appointment of a new COO. The announcement had no effect on the share price as no deals were registered this week.
The corporate debt market enjoyed a strong week as out of a total of 33 active issues, 15 gained and nine headed in the opposite direction. The 5% Dizz Finance plc Unsecured € 2026 headed the list of gainers, soaring by 3.79 per cent to close at €109. The 6% Mediterranean Investments Holdings plc Euro 2021 also posted solid gains as it registered a 3.63 per cent price hike to reverse the marginal loss recorded in the previous week.
Following the approval and publication of the 2017 Interim Financial Statements of 6PM Holdings plc, the Listing Authority an-nounced that sufficient information has now been made public by the Company for listing and trading of its securities.
Therefore, as from Feb. 12 the suspension of listing and trading in the 5.1% 6PM Holdings plc Unsecured Bonds €2025 was terminated. As a result the issue lost 10.8 per cent in value from the last traded price to fall to €95 from €106.50.
Yields in the sovereign debt market were up as 16 issues headed south, while gainers and non-movers amounted to three each.
The longer dated bonds had the worst performances, particularly the 4.3% MGS 2033 which drifted 2.3 per cent lower to €130.92. The 4.1% MGS 2034 and the 3% MGS 2040 were also notable fallers as they were down by 1.68 per cent and 1.64 per cent respectively.