Shares of BF&M rose 0.3 per cent in the first trading session of the year on the Bermuda Stock Exchange.

The insurer gained five cents to close on $16.25 as 9,000 shares changed hands.

Ascendant Group, parent company of Belco, also traded, closing unchanged on $16.90 as 6,000 shares were traded.

Butterfield Bank was also unchanged on $31 as 3,696 of its shares were exchanged.

The bank’s US-listed shares rose 54 cents, or 1.7 per cent, to close on $31.89 on the New York Stock Exchange.

The Royal Gazette/BSX Index climbed by 0.38 of a point to end the day on 1,959.37.

Trading volume totalled 18,696 shares, while turnover amounted to $362,226.

The BSX Insurance Index fell 19.57 points, or 1.3 per cent, to close on 1,472.31.