The Malta Stock Exchange climbed six points, or 0.2 per cent on Friday to close at 3,078.788 on very heavy volume of 417,246 shares across a total of 38 deals. Friday’s close represents the second consecutive gain from the MSE after it suffered twelve straight losses, only broken by Thursday’s marginal 0.1 per cent rise.

Bank of Valletta plc shares added 1c, or 0.4 per cent, to end at €2.520 in sixteen deals for a total of 28,886 shares. On Thursday, BOV shares ended unchanged on very light volume of just 231 shares.

HSBC Bank Malta plc stock, meanwhile, also added 1c, or 0.4 per cent, to close at €2.670 on volume of 31,400 shares across a total of 15 deals. On Thursday, HSBC shares added 1c, or 0.4 per cent, in seven deals for a total of 13,000 shares.

Equity of the local telecommunications provider, GO plc, also aided the MSE higher, albeit in slight fashion, adding just 0c1, or less than 0.1 per cent, to finish at €1.201 in just two deals for a total of 2060 shares. On Thursday GO shares fell 1c, or 0.8 per cent in a single deal of 640 shares. After the close of trading on Wednesday, the company reported that during the first six months of the current financial year the Group achieved an operating profit of €9.2m, a reduction of €2.0m over an operating profit of €11.2m in 2010. The Group’s revenue amounted to €65.2m as against €64.2m in 2010 representing growth of 1.6%. Trading in the stock on the day of the announcement ended considerably lower as the share price closed down 4.4 per cent on volume of 13,650 shares.

Finally on Friday, RS2 Software plc closed unchanged at €0.580 in extremely heavy volume of 354,900 shares.

Trading in the corporate bond market ended mixed with three of the nine bonds to trade during the day closing higher while two ended lower. The 7% MIDI plc GBP 2016-2018 bond closed down €3.000, or 2.9 per cent, to end at par, or €100.000 in three deals for a total of €9,000 nominal.