MSE index starts off th
The MSE Index Equity Total Return
kick-started the year with a negative 2.6% change, as it ended January at 8,255.31 points. Total turnover declined by almost half the previous month’s figure, as it amounted to €3.7 million – generated across 521 transactions. A total of 23 equities were active, five of which headed north while another 16 closed in the opposite direction.
The hybrid IT enabler, plc, registered the highest liquidity, as it generated a total turnover of €0.7 million throughout January. The price declined by 0.4% to €0.48, as 1,497,422 shares were spread across 79 transactions.
Its parent company, GO plc, also closed in the red at €3.46 – equivalent to a 2.3% movement in price. A total of 10 deals involving 10,773 shares were executed. The equity reached a monthly low price of €3.24 but managed to recoup some lost
BMIT Technologies
ground until end of month.
RS2 Software plc provided the market with an update on the group’s 2020 performance and expectations for the next financial year. Despite the current economic challenges Covid-19 brought with it, 2020 was a year where significant revenue contracts have been entered into and during which a number of strategic clients across regions in Asia-Pacific (APAC), North America, Europe and Latin America (LATAM) have transitioned from the implementation phase to live processing.
RS2 reported an increase in the volume of transactions processed on its platform during 2020 when compared to those processed in 2019. This increase is expected to progress with a gradual increase from RS2’s current clients, as well as the onboarding of new clients.
The Board reasonably expects the group to experience growth in its consolidated results for 2021, notwithstanding the current economic challenges resulting primarily from the pandemic. By the end of 2021, RS2 aims to have achieved important developmental milestones in key business areas pursued by the group.
During January, the equity traded 30 times over a spread of 110,835 shares, worth €220,474. The equity traded at a monthly low of €1.91 but managed to recover, as it closed 2% higher at €2.04.
The best performance was a double-digit gain of 10%, recorded by LifeStar Holdings plc. The equity closed €0.05 higher at €0.55, as it traded twice over a spread of 1,174 shares.
Similarly, in the property sector,
Malta Properties Company plc,
was up by 10% as 52 deals involving 1,139,010 shares pushed the price higher to €0.55. The equity recorded a total turnover of €571,650, being the second most liquid equity.
Trident Estates plc declined by 10.8%, as it ended January at €1.48. Eight deals involving 37,712 shares were executed.
A 13.4% fall in price was also recorded by MIDI plc, as it closed the month at €0.388. This was the outcome of 31,000 shares executed over four deals.
Meanwhile, Malita Investments plc was active and closed unchanged at €0.90. The equity saw 70,837 shares change ownership across nine transactions. On a similar note, a sole deal of 70 Tigne’ Mall plc
shares pushed the equity’s price down to €0.82, closing 3.5% lower.
Three equities were active in the banking industry. Bank of Valletta plc generated the highest turnover of €486,556 – as a result of 91 deals involving 515,123 shares. The price suffered from a 1.1% change, as it closed €0.01 lower at €0.94.
Its peer, HSBC Bank Malta plc
also ended the month in negative territory at €0.83 – translating into a 7.8% movement in price. A total of 202,097 shares changed hands across 36 transactions.
The largest decline for the month was recorded by Lombard Bank Malta plc, as it closed 16.1% lower at €1.98. This was the result of just three deals involving 79,144 shares.
results for 2020. A 76.1% drop was recorded over 2019, equivalent to 1,748,050 passenger movements. This is the lowest traffic result to be reported by the airport since the company assumed management of the air terminal in 2002, when fullyear traffic amounted to 2.6 million passenger movements.
Traffic for December 2020 stood at just 10% of what was reported within the same month for 2019, as only 46,475 passenger movements were recorded. Data provided by Airports Council International (ACI) shows that European airports in general suffered the same plight last year, with this airport group registering an overall contraction in passenger traffic of 79.6% and reporting the cumulative loss of over 6,000 routes.
Several international industry organisations are predicting that, following an extremely rocky first quarter of 2021, the tourism industry