JAKARTA: Southeast Asian stock markets closed mostly lower on Thursday as concerns over global economic growth persisted, with Malaysia posting its biggest single-day percentage loss in a month.
Malaysia's main stock index fell 0.7 percent, its lowest closing level since Oct. 5.
Electricity producer Tenaga Nasional Bhd dropped 1.1 percent, among the biggest losers on Thursday.
"Given the absence of window-dressing, bearish technical momentum and slumping oil prices should exert downside pressure on blue chips in the immediate term," TA Securities in Kuala Lumpur wrote in a note on Thursday.
The Singapore and Philippine indexes each dropped by 0.4 percent.
The Thai stock market was closed for a public holiday on Thursday and will resume trading Friday.
The Jakarta Composite Index in Indonesia rose 0.05 percent, after a 1.3 percent decline on Tuesday. The Indonesian market was closed on Wednesday for a public holiday.
Bank Central Asia Tbk, the country's biggest bank by market value, led the gainers with a 3.7 percent increase, after a senior Bank Indonesia official said there was room for a cut in the central bank's benchmark interest rate even if the US Federal Reserve raised rates at its meeting this month.
Energy shares, however, remained under pressure.
Oil and gas company PT Medco Energi Internasional fell 5.3 percent to close at its lowest in 14 years.
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