Thai shares closed 0.92 percent lower on Monday due mainly to profit taking at the end of the second quarter, dealers said. They said the Thai bourse fell in line with other regional markets, with ongoing concerns over volatile global oil prices.
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) composite index fell 7.14 points to close at 768.59 points, while the blue chip SET 50 index lost 5.46 points to close at 548.95. Losers overwhelmed gainers 232 to 78 with 107 stocks unchanged on turnover of 4.49 billion shares worth 16.12 billion baht (481.93 million dollars).
The Thai baht gained against the dollar, finishing at 33.42-45 baht on Monday from Friday's 33.53-56 baht. The Thai unit weakened against the euro, closing at 52.85-90 baht from 52.84-88 baht. "The market fell today mainly due to profit taking at the end of the second quarter. It's common to see investors cash out at the end of the quarter," said Adisak Kammool, head of the research department at KGI Securities.
Share prices in major stocks fell, led by energy and banking shares. Thailand's biggest energy firm PTT lost 6.00 baht to close at 302.00 baht while its subsidiary PTT Exploration and Production gained 5.00 to 193.00. Another major energy firm, Banpu, lost 12.00 to 528.00. The kingdom's biggest lender, Bangkok Bank, slipped 1.00 to 119.00. Kasikorn Bank lost 2.00 to 71.00, while Siam Commercial Bank also fell 2.50 to 77.50. Thai Airways International edged down 0.40 to close at 21.10.