Thai share prices closed 0.31 percent higher on Wednesday amid light trading as persisting concerns about the state of the global economy dampened market sentiment, dealers said. The Thai index moved narrowly, finishing up mostly on selective small-cap shares, with major investors remaining on the sidelines, they said.
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) composite index rose 1.38 points to close at 439.60 points while the blue chip SET-50 index added 0.76 points to 304.22 points. Gainers outnumbered losers 191 to 94 with 119 stocks unchanged on turnover of 3.14 billion shares worth 7.12 billion baht (201.47 million dollars).
The Thai baht slipped against the dollar, finishing at 35.33-35 baht from 35.26-27 baht on Tuesday. But the unit slightly gained against the euro, closing at 44.39-47 from 44.45-48 the previous day. "Trading was light. Investors are still worried about the global economy," said Ronnakrit Sarinwong, executive vice president at Adkinson Securities. "Today trading focused mainly on selective small-cap shares."
Thailand's top energy firm PTT Plc was unchanged at 159.00 baht, while its subsidiary PTT Exploration and Production edged down 0.50 baht to 93.00 baht. Another major energy firm, Banpu, lost 2.00 to 222.00. The country's biggest lender, Bangkok Bank, rose 1.00 to 75.00. Kasikorn Bank added 0.50 to 46.00 while Siam Commercial Bank edged up 0.50 to 53.50. The kingdom's top telephone operator, Advanced Info Service, gained 1.00 to 77.00.