Financial news

It was a relatively mild end of week session at the Malta Stock Exchange with a mere 17 deals spread over four equities, which saw the Index close higher by 0.223 per cent to read 3,228 points. This was brought about by gains in the oldest banking equity.

Bank of Valletta was the day's most actively traded equity increasing over its previous day closing price of €3.56.

Trading commenced higher by two cents with further buying interest entering the market and raising the price further to end the day at €3.60, equating to a 1.12 per cent increase. Turnover consisted of a total of 4,389 shares swapped over seven transactions.

Go saw a marginal gain of seventenths of a per cent or 0.4 per cent over its previous closing price. Volumes were somewhat muted with 4,526 shares dealt across three trades that resulted in a closing price of €1.76. Trading in Malta International Airport consisted of a sole trade, as two investors swapped a total of 1,100 shares at €2.49 which represents the session's only minor decline, as the airport operator's shares dropped by 0.28 per cent.

HSBC Bank Malta was the day's only non-mover even though the banking equity registered the largest volume of trades, with a total of 13,892 shares leaving the price unchanged at €2.70.

In the fixed interest sector of the market activity was spread across five corporate bonds and six government stocks.

The highest turnover for the session was registered in the 5% MGS 2021 as a volume of 73,069 nominal was dealt across four transactions which saw the price move higher by 0.60 per cent to close at €103.90. The 7.8% MGS 2018 registered the only decrease among the government debt issues trading yesterday, as the stock shed 1.45 per cent over a low volume of 1,165 nominal.

Weekly MSE equity report

In the first week of the year, the Malta Stock Exchange closed higher by a slight margin of 0.60 per cent. In fact the MSE Index closed yesterday at 3,228 points, with three larger components supporting the reading, countered by a single decline.

Bank of Valletta was the main positive contributor, with an increase of 3.72 per cent over the previous week, to see the closing price at €3.60.

Activity in Go saw the quadruple play communications operator trade higher as its share price rose by 0.40 per cent to end the week at €1.76.

HSBC Bank Malta also registered a slight increase in price by 0.04 per cent thereby closing off the week at €2.70.

Malta International Airport was the week's only laggard closing at €2.49,8 which stands at a discount of 0.28 per cent from its previous end of week closing.

A single trade in RS2 Software brought two investors to exchange 6,000 shares without altering its previous established price of €0.799.

Interest with relatively low volumes in FIMBank and Maltapost also failed to steer any moves, thereby closing unchanged.

The bulk of the week's trades were in the fixed interest market, where investors transacted an aggregate weekly value of €450,255 in corporate bonds and €1,807,944 in government stocks. The flavour of the week was the longer dated five per cent MGS 2021 which saw 18 transactions executed for a turnover of 474,643 nominal.

This article has been prepared by Bank of Valletta p.l.c. (the Bank), which is licensed to conduct investment services business by the MFSA, for your general information only. This information is not a solicitation or offer by the Bank to acquire or sell securities. Nor does it constitute any form of advice by the Bank. Appropriate advice should be obtained before making any such decision. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance and the value of your investments may fall or rise.