The MSE Equity Price Index trended lower on Monday as it lost 0.79% to 3,995.598 points after declines in BOV, GO, IHI, MIA and Medserv outweighed gains in Lombard. Seven other equities ended the day flat whilst trading activity rose to €0.37 million from €0.13 million last Thursday.
Go plc lost a further 2.7% as the equity dropped to a near 1-month low of €3.60 across heightened activity of 32,360 shares.
Malta International Airport fell by nearly 1% to the €5.05 level across 13,300 shares.
Similarly, Bank of Valletta plc slipped by nearly 1% to the €1.04 level as 21,600 shares changed hands.
Also among the large companies, International Hotel Investments plc fell to a two-week low of €0.58 as the equity lost 3.3% on activity totalling 10,750 shares.
Medserv plc continued its negative trend as it plunged by a further 7.9% to a new five-year low of €0.82 across 12,650 shares.
Monday's only positively trading equity, Lombard Bank Malta plc, jumped 5% as it regained the €2.10 level across two trades totalling 30,000 shares.
In the same sector, HSBC Bank Malta plc remained unchanged at the €1.02 level across low volumes.
In the IT Services sector, RS2 Software plc recovered from an intraday low of €1.95 (-5.3%) to end the day flat at the €2.06 level across 13,200 shares. Meanwhile, BMIT Technologies plc retained the €0.48 level across a single trade of 2,000 shares.
Elsewhere, PG plc ended the day unchanged at the €1.85 level on volumes of 6,184 shares.
Main Street Complex plc traded flat at its all-time low of €0.45 across 80,000 shares.
Single trades in Malita Investments plc (710 shares) and Simonds Farsons Cisk plc (597 shares) left both equities unchanged at €0.85 and €8.30 respectively. The annual financial statements of Farsons for the year ended 31 January 2020 will be published on 27 May.
The RF MGS Index inched 0.03% higher to 1,122.596 points. IHS Markit Eurozone Manufacturing PMI’s for the month of April were revised slightly lower to 33.4, down from a preliminary estimate of 33.6 and from March’s final reading of 44.5.
The latest reading pointed to the steepest month of contraction since comparable series began in June 1997, as governments across the region were forced to impose strict measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, investor sentiment was dampened further by rising tensions between the US and China following comments made by the Trump administration which tried to pin the blame for the coronavirus pandemic on China.