Trading activity during the first session of the week on the Malta Stock Exchange ended in negative territory as the Index shed 0.4 per cent to close at the 3,067.392 level. This happened when the gains registered in a single equity did not suffice to make up for losses registered in the largest local banks. In the equity market, activity was relatively limited and spread across three equities as investors negotiated an aggregate of 29,860 shares spread across 16 deals.
The session’s sole gainer was GO, albeit registering a mere 0c1 increase which equates to an appreciation of 0.1 per cent to close at €1.021. Trading activity in the quadruple play telecommunication company resulted when 2,660 shares were traded across two deals.
In the banking sector, shares in both Bank of Valletta (BOV) and HSBC Bank Malta ended in negative territory. BOV shares dropped 2c or 0.8 per cent to end the session at the €2.420 level. The bank was also the session’s most actively traded equity as investors negotiated 7,000 shares across 11 deals for a market consideration of €16,945.
HSBC shares also depreciated 2c, which corresponds to a decline of 0.8 per cent to close the day at €2.630. The bank was nevertheless the session’s most liquid equity as investors transacted 20,200 shares across three deals.
Meanwhile, activity during the day was much higher in the fixed interest sector of the market, which was spread over 12 corporate bonds and 13 government stocks. Prices in the corporate bond market were largely stable, as seven bonds closed unchanged, four registered marginal gains, and one closed lower. The session’s sole underperformer was the 6% Simonds Farsons Cisk 2017-2020 bonds, which declined by 0.02 per cent, when €7,600 nominal were exchanged over two deals to close at €103.500.
In the sovereign debt market, the mood was largely negative as ten stocks closed lower, while only three stocks managed to eek gains. The highest turnover was registered in the 7.8% MGS 2018, as half a million nominal were transacted over a single deal.