The MSE Equity Total Return Index recovered a portion of last week’s loss as the index closed 0.15 per cent higher at 8,661.208 points, as a total of 19 equities were active during the week of which gainers and fallers amounted to six. In the equities market, a total of 230 deals generated a turnover of €2,666,120.

The banking industry was responsible for over half of the total turnover generated in the equities market this week, as the largest two equities traded heavily.

HSBC Bank Malta plc was down by 4.12 per cent to close the week at €1.86 as the equity turned ex-div on Monday. Trading volume totalled 349,474 shares over 38 transactions.

On Thursday, Bank of Valletta plc announced that the board is scheduled to meet on March 23, 2018 to consider and approve the group and the bank’s audited financial statements for the 15-month period from October 1, 2016 and December 31, 2017. T

BOV was the most liquid equity as 443,055 shares traded over 85 deals. Despite this trading activity however, the equity closed unchanged at €1.83 for the second week running.

On Wednesday, FIMBank plc published a preliminary statement of the Group’s results for 2017 which showed a 43.98 per cent increase in profit for 2017 over 2016. A total of 23,466 shares were exchanged over four deals.

A single transaction of 505 Lombard Bank Malta plc shares dragged the share price down by a sizable 16.67 per cent, to a 21-month low of €2.00.

In the telecommunications sector, GO plc traded heavily as 168,360 shares changed hands over 12 deals. As a result, the equity drifted 1.11 per cent lower to €3.56.

Malta International Airport also recorded a sizable trading volume of 33,325 shares, but ended the week at the previous week’s closing price of €4.94.

In the insurance industry, Mapfre Middlesea plc performed well this week, climbing 3.8 per cent to €1.91 across 15 trades of a combined 56,046 shares.

On Tuesday, GlobalCapital plc announced that it submitted a binding offer to the Special Administrator of Cyprus Popular Bank Public Co Ltd for the purchase of its 49.01 per cent stake in Lombard Bank Malta plc.

RS2 Software plc was the best performer this week as it continued its recovery with a 7.69 per cent gain in its share price to €1.40. A total of 89,069 shares traded across 17 deals.

International Hotel Investments plc kicked off the week with a significant loss but eventually managed to bounce back, closing unchanged at a price of €0.62.

A total of 16,334 MaltaPost plc shares were exchanged over five deals but price movements in the last two days of the week cancelled each other out, ultimately closing unchanged at €1.90.

Simonds Farsons Cisk plc traded flat at €6.95, despite recording four deals on slim volumes.

Similarly, a single deal of 9,400 Grand Harbour Marina plc shares had no impact on the share price of €0.73. The retail conglomerate, PG plc reached a one-month high of €1.38, translating to a 2.22 per cent appreciation. Trading volume amounted to 34,350 shares across four deals.

In the oil sector, 26,060 Medserv plc shares traded over five deals. The outcome was a 2.61 per cent decline in share price, settling at €1.12.

On Tuesday, Plaza Centres plc announced that the board is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to consider and approve the group’s financial statements for the financial year ended December 31, 2017.

Loqus Holdings plc logged the weakest performance of the week as two transactions of 7,500 shares dragged the price down by a substantial 28.19 per cent to the €0.135 price level.

In the property sector, Malita Investments plc traded in negative territory as it logged a loss in value of 4.09 per cent to €0.82 as 45,500 shares traded over six deals.

On Wednesday, MIDI plc announced that the previously announced guardianship deed with the Manoel Island Foundation and the Gżira Local Council in respect of Manoel Island is now in effect. A couple of transactions of a combined 68,600 shares pushed the equity price up to €0.346.

In the same sector, Malta Properties Company posted a modest gain of 0.4 per cent to close at €0.50 as 23,100 shares traded over five transactions.

Trident Estates plc traded twice this week as 3,499 shares changed hands. The result was an advancement in share price of 1.65%, ending the week at €1.85.

In the corporate debt market, gainers marginally outweighed fallers as out of 35 active bonds, 14 traded higher and ten drifted lower.

The 4% Stivala Group Finance plc Secured € 2027 logged the best performance this week as it recovered last week’s loss by climbing 2.21% to €104.25.

At the other end of the spectrum, the 4.5% Grand Harbour Marina plc Unsecured € 2027 dropped 2.33% to €104.51.

With regards to Malta Government Stocks, yields were predominantly down this week, as from 27 active issues, 15 headed north and nine lost ground.

The most notable price movement was that of the longest dated government bond, the 2.4% MGS 2041, as it extended its winning streak to three straight weeks by posting further gains of 0.94%.

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