Thai share prices closed flat on Friday as investors adopted a wait-and-see stance ahead of major mass political rallies to be held during the weekend, dealers said.
They said the Thai market held firm on buying of energy shares but overall gains were limited due to a prolonged political impasse over the leadership of embattled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) composite index rose just 0.69 points to 753.21 and the blue chip SET 50 index gained 0.73 points to 532.20.
Losers outnumbered gainers 209 to 108 with 120 stocks unchanged on turnover of 2.4 billion shares worth 11.7 billion baht (300 million dollars) traded.
The Thai baht closed at 38.85-88 to the dollar Friday, against 38.65-72 Thursday. Against the euro, the Thai unit stood at 46.65-71, compared with 46.15-24.
"The market lacked a clear direction because of political uncertainty. Investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of rallies on Friday and Sunday," said Thanyalak V. Surapol, an economist at Kasikorn Research Center.
Thaksin called Friday's rally after a month of street protests demanding his resignation. He was scheduled to speak at the rally at 8:00 pm (1300 GMT).
His rally comes just two days before another mass anti-government protest in Bangkok on Sunday.
Thaksin is under mounting pressure to quit over allegations of corruption and abuse of power.
Much of the public anger has also come from his family's 1.9 billion dollar tax-free sale of stocks in Shin Corp - the telecoms giant he founded before entering politics - to Singaporean investors in January.
Thaksin last Friday dissolved the lower house of parliament in a bid to defuse the political crisis and forced snap elections three years ahead of schedule.
Thailand's top energy firm PTT rose 2.00 to 254.00 baht and its subsidiary PTT Exploration and Production jumped 16.00 to 540.00. But Thailand's top lender Bangkok Bank slipped 1.00 to 118.00 and the third largest lender Kasikorn Bank also lost 0.50 to 67.00.
Thai Airways International gained 0.50 to 44.25 but Shin Corp declined 0.25 to 48.50.
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