Thai share prices will be determined by the outcome of a weekend rally against the kingdom's junta amid worries over violence during the protest, dealers said. "It is really up to the outcome of the protest. If it ends peacefully, then the market will go up," said Chai Chirasevenupraphand, a market strategist at Capital Nomura Securities.
"If not, forget it. Foreign investors will turn sellers," Chai said.
An anti-junta group, set up by allies of deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra, plans to hold a major demonstration in central Bangkok on Saturday to demand an end to the military government.
Since late May, the Thai capital has been rocked by daily anti-junta protests, which so far have been largely peaceful. Some 2,000 policemen will be deployed on Saturday to ensure security.