Malaysian share prices closed 0.36 percent lower on Friday amid continued lacklustre trading in regional markets and fears the market may extend its falls next week, dealers said.
They said those fears stem from further possible interest rate hikes in the US and the prospect that Asian central banks will be forced to follow suit to ensure parity with US rates.
The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index shed 3.38 points to 944.40 and volume traded was 799.56 million shares worth 1.33 billion ringgit (367.60 million dollars). Losers outnumbered gainers 528 to 266, with 300 stocks unchanged and 224 untraded.
Dealers said they did not expect to see a significant rebound in the week ahead as sentiment was unlikely to recover for at least a fortnight. Among blue chips, Telekom Malaysia and Malayan Banking were both down 0.10 ringgit at 9.55 and 10.90 respectively, while Tenaga Nasional was flat at 8.70.