Trading activity during the final session on the Malta Stock Exchange ended in negative territory as the Index declined by 0.9 per cent to close at the 3,290.354 level. This happened when the share price in Malta’s two largest local banks ended on a negative note, while no other equity trading during the session finished with gains. In the equity market activity was limited across four equities as investors transacted an aggregate of 48,768 shares over 28 deals.

HSBC Bank Malta headed the list of losers as the equity declined by 6c, which equates to a drop of 2.1 per cent to close at €2.870. The Bank was nevertheless the session most liquid and actively traded equity as investors negotiated 20,900 shares across 15 deals.

Likewise, Bank of Valletta shares also ended the day in the red as the equity declined by 3c8 or 1.4 per cent to close the session at the €2.660 level. A volume of 6,360 shares was exchanged across 8 deals.

Meanwhile, GO shares ended the session as a non-mover, as the equity closed unchanged at €1.360. Trading activity in the quadruple play telecommunications company resulted when 4,508 shares were negotiated across 4 deals.

RS2 Software shares also ended the day with registering any change to its share price, closing at the €0.53 level. Investors in the software company resulted when two investors transacted 17,000 shares.

In the fixed interest sector of the market, activity was spread over seven corporate bonds and ten government stocks. In the corporate bond market sentiment was mixed as two bonds ended lower, three closed higher while the rest ended unchanged. The day’s best performer was the 7.5% Mediterranean Investment Holdings 2012-2014 euro bond, which gained 5.6 per cent, when €19,318 nominal were transacted across three deals to close at €95.000.