Trading activity in equities picked up during yesterday's session at the Malta Stock Exchange, although persistent selling of Maltacom shares weighed on the Index which closed 0.25 per cent lower, slightly above the 3,600 mark.

Maltacom shares suffered the brunt from sellers who offloaded a total of 28,740 shares across 15 transactions. This brought a marked decline in the share price which fell by a further 2.5 per cent down to Lm1.35c. Maltacom shares have tumbled in excess of six per cent during the first three sessions of the week, as investors cut their positions to channel funds into other equities. Contrary to this, Simonds Farsons Cisk was the day's top gainer, as shares shot ahead by 3c or 3.5 per cent to trade at the Lm0.88c. Volume activity was for 7,400 shares which were struck across four deals.

Global Financial Services Group shares continued to rise on expectations of positive interim results which are soon due to be announced. During the session two investors swapped 5,000 GFSG shares at the Lm1.17c9 level.

Elsewhere, Plaza Centres yielded slightly underselling activity to close the day at Lm0.60c. No change was registered in the share prices of FIMBank, HSBC Bank Malta and Bank of Valletta, although the latter touched an intra-day high of Lm5.22c.