The MSE Equity Total Return Index (MSE) turned negative despite gains in the share prices of the two major banks. The MSE recorded a weekly drop of 0.4 per cent, to close at 7,851.062 points. In the equities’ market, there were 17 active securities, as the positive performance of six equities was outweighed by eight negative movers. A total of €1m was traded, as nearly half of this turnover took place in Bank of Valletta plc (BOV) and Trident Estates plc. In fact, €0.25m were traded in BOV shares, as the share price of the banking equity oscillated between a weekly low of €0.805 and a high of €0.86. Yesterday, BOV shares closed a volatile week at €0.845 and hence up by 1.8 per cent on the week. HSBC Bank Malta plc (HSBC) maintained its 2.2 per cent gain from Tuesday to finish the week at €0.92. A turnover of €29,321 was registered, as 31,873 shares exchanged ownership across six deals. The banking equity was only active on Tuesday and Wednesday. Meanwhile, FIMBank plc ended the week unchanged at the $0.27 level, albeit on trivial volumes, while MAPFRE Middlesea plc traded 5.2 per cent lower at €2.18, after closing at €2.30 for four consecutive weeks. Two trades involving 6,211...