The MSE Equity Total Return Index ended the week 0.29 per cent higher at 9,532.111 points.

Out of 18 active equities, six headed north while another seven closed in the opposite direction. A total weekly turnover of €1.2 million was generated, as 156 transactions were executed.

In the banking industry, Bank of Valletta plc closed unchanged at €1.08 after having traded 28 times involving 123,278 shares.

Its peer, HSBC Bank Malta plc reached an intra-week high of €1.08, to then close 0.95 per cent lower at €1.04. A total of 308,700 shares changed ownership over 44 deals.

Last Tuesday, FIMBank plc announced that the board shall meet on March 10, 2020, to consider, and if deemed fit, approve the group’s and bank’s audited accounts for the financial year ended December 31, 2019.

The board shall also consider a dividend declaration, if any, to be recommended to the AGM of shareholders.

The bank traded twice last Thursday over a spread of 75,806 shares. As a result, the price declined by 3.33 per centto $0.58.

Lombard Bank plc was active on three deals involving 2,100 shares, pushing the price 4.59 per cent higher to close at €2.28. 

Last Friday, Malta International Airport plc announced its January traffic results.

The airport started off the year on a good note as traffic has grown by 14.2 per cent, exceeding the 400,000-passenger mark for the first time. 

Total number of passengers amounted to 418,096, which is comparable to the number of passengers during the peak summer month of ten years ago. Seat capacity registered an 11.3 per cent increase, while seat load factor advanced by 1.8 per cent.

January saw Italy top the airport’s list of drivers of passenger traffic again after 11 months. This market was followed by France, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Growth in the French market is partly due to the fact that the Lyon and Nantes routes are being operated in the winter months for the first time.

The equity gained 0.72 per cent during the week, as 6,083 shares changed hands over 13 transactions. The equity closed at €6.95.

Last Thursday, RS2 Software plc announced a partnership agreement with MoviiRed, one of the leading digital challenger banks in Colombia, to offer direct issuing and acquiring services to consumers and merchants.

The aim of this agreement is to change the payment system in Colombia. RS2 will enable consumers to pay using a single digital platform, which will result into a more time-efficient service and at the lowest possible cost.

Colombia is one of the company’s target, together with the European and Northern American markets.

According to the partners, Colombia has a lot of future growth potential, as so far, only about 8 per cent of merchants accept card payments.

The partners expect to register exponential growth in its direct acquiring and issuing business, having already built a strong base of 60,000 POS terminals, serving 15 million client transactions per month.

GO plc kicked off the week on a positive note, to then revert back to the €4.14

The equity registered a 3.42 per cent increase, as it closed the week at €2.42. This was the outcome of 15 deals involving 74,049 shares.

GO plc kicked off the week on a positive note, to then revert back to the €4.14 on Thursday. Six deals involving 6,800 shares were executed. Similarly, its subsidiary, BMIT Technologies plc, traded seven times over a spread of 23,683 shares. The equity lost 1.92 per cent, and closed the week at €0.51.

PG plc lost 0.99 per cent as 129,240 shares were spread over 12 transactions and closed at the€2.00 price level.

International Hotel Investments plc ended the week in positive territory, as 39,001 shares changed ownership across four transactions. The outcome was a 0.62 per cent increase, as the equity closed at €0.815.

The worst performer was GlobalCapital plc, as two deals with a mix of 340,000 shares were executed. The equity registered a 6.67 per cent decline last Wednesday, to close at €0.28.

Mapfre Middlesea plc traded four times over a mix of 3,923 shares. The equity reached a four-week high of €2.36 during the week, to then close at €2.34. This translates into a 0.86 per cent increase in price.

Last Thursday, six deals involving 4,723 Simonds Farsons Cisk plc shares pushed the price 0.92 per cent higher. The equity ended the week at €11.00.

Santumas Shareholding plc was active last Monday over two deals involving 428 shares.

The equity declined to €1.40, translating into a 0.71 per cent fall in price.

Three deals involving 7,583 MIDI plc shares left no impact on the equity’s previous week’s closing price of €0.47.

Similarly, Malita Investments plc also traded once over 11,006 shares to close unchanged at €0.90.

Tigne’ Mall plc was active on three deals involving 10,671 shares. The equity traded flat all week at the €0.90 price mark.

The first trade was recorded for Harvest Technology plc over 1,000 shares. This resulted into a 1.33 per cent decline in price, to close at €1.48.

The MSE Corporate Bonds Total Return Index ended the week 0.069 per cent higher as it reached 1,082.07 points.

Out of 38 active issues, 22 registered gains while eight closed in the red. The best performer was the 5.8% International Hotel Investments plc 2023 issue as it closed 4.32 per cent higher at €108.50.

Conversely, the 5.1% 6PM Holdings plc Unsecured € 2025 bond declined by 1.59 per cent, to close the week at €102.00.

The MSE MGS Total Return Index registered just over a 1 per cent decline, as it closed at 1,131.09 points – mirroring the broader European sovereign debt front as investors turned back onto a risk-on mode following hopes of cure for the novel coronavirus. 

A total of 18 issues were active, of which three headed north while 15 lost ground.

The 2.1% MGS 2039 (I) advanced by 0.64%, to close at €125.00. On the other hand, the 5.25% MGS 2030 (I) traded 6.13 per cent lower, closing the week at €150.20.

In the Prospects MTF market, six issues were active. The 5.25% Klikk Finance plc € Unsecured 2027 registered the highest liquidity of €18,000 as it traded at par.

This article, which was compiled by Jesmond Mizzi Financial Advisors Limited, does not intend to give investment advice and the contents therein should not be construed as such. The company is licensed to conduct investment services by the MFSA and is a member of the Malta Stock Exchange and the Atlas Group.

The directors or related parties, including the company and their clients, are likely to have an interest in securities mentioned in this article.

For further information contact Jesmond Mizzi Financial Advisors Limited at 67, Level 3, South Street, Valletta, or on 2122 4410, or e-mail info@jesmondmizzi.com.