Malaysian shares flat

Malaysian shares ended flat on Friday amid mild bargain hunting and weak sentiment, dealers said. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index lost 0.67 points to close at 1,217.439 with a volume of 688.78 million shares worth 945.18 million ringgit (272.47 million dollars). There were 309 gainers, 329 losers and 250 counters traded unchanged.
"Trading interest is likely to pick up next week as investors come back from long vacations in full force," a dealer told Dow Jones Newswires. Among decliners, budget carrier AirAsia slid 3.5 percent to 1.39 ringgit as CIMB bank slipped 0.7 percent to 11.16 ringgit. On the upside, local newspaper giant NSTP rose 6.0 percent to 2.29 ringgit while Pelikan rose 3.2 percent to 1.60 ringgit.