Thai share prices closed 0.10 percent lower on Friday as sentiment turned downbeat on a sluggish regional market, dealers said. They said investors also sold banking and financial stocks, but energy shares held firm in line with soaring global oil prices.
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) composite index fell 0.92 points to 875.83 and the blue chip SET-50 index slipped 0.10 points to 644.65. Losers led gainers 222 to 99, with 116 stocks unchanged on turnover of 1.6 billion shares worth 15 billion baht (440 million dollars).
The Thai baht closed at 34.15-16 to the dollar, little moved from Thursday's finish. Against the euro, the Thai currency was quoted at 48.75-78 from 48.68-72. "We saw selling of banking and financial stocks as sentiment was negative due to a weak regional market today," said Chai Chirasevenupraphand, a market strategist at Capital Nomura Securities.
But overall the Thai market closed marginally lower due to buying of energy shares in line with soaring oil prices, which hit a record high 90 dollars per barrel amid tensions between Turkey and crude producer Iraq, Chai said.
World oil prices hit an historic 90.02 dollars per barrel in electronic trade after the market close on Thursday on fears over a possible incursion by Turkey into northern Iraq - where many of the country's largest oil fields are based.
Thailand's top energy firm PTT rose 4.00 baht to 372 and its subsidiary PTT Exploration and Production also gained 4.00 to 162.00. Thai Oil fell 0.50 to 89.00. The nation's top lender Bangkok Bank was unchanged at 119.00. Thai Airways International slipped 0.25 to 41.25, and the kingdom's largest mobile phone operator Advanced Info Service declined 2.00 to 91.50.