Malaysian shares close lower

Malaysian share prices closed 0.19 percent lower Friday with sentiment weighed down by the overnight fall on Wall Street and higher oil prices, dealers said. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index was down 1.82 points to 943.41, off a low of 941.85 and a high of 946.22 on volume of 494.42 million shares worth 567.92 million ringgit (149.4 million dollars). Losers led gains 420 to 301, with 340 stocks unchanged and 256 untraded.
At the close, the ringgit was at 3.75 against the US dollar, unchanged, and at 4.64 against the euro.
"Investors remain very much short-term judging from the consolidation and profit-taking today but sentiment still appears robust," a local brokerage dealer said, adding that rotational interest was seen in penny stocks.
Among blue chips, Tenaga Nasional was unchanged at 11.20 ringgit, Telekom Malaysia lost 0.20 to 10.90 and Malayan Banking was down 0.10 at 11.40.