The Thai stock exchange ended flat Friday in thin trade, an analyst said. The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) composite index edged 0.13 points, or 0.02 percent lower to close at 715.68, and the blue chip SET-50 index lost 0.29 points to close at 503.29. Gainers outnumbered losers 156 to 144 and 156 stocks were unchanged with turnover of 2.3 billion shares worth 13.5 billion baht (406.5 million dollars).
The Thai baht rose slightly against the dollar to close at 33.20-21 baht to one dollar compared to Thursday's close at 33.23-23. The unit also gained against the euro, finishing at 47.74-77 baht to one euro compared to the previous day's close at 47.81-90.
"The index moved in a very narrow range in negative territory throughout the day because most foreign investors are away on holidays," said Pichai Lertsupongkit, an analyst at Thanachart Securities. He said most players at the market were Thai retail investors and institutional investors.
Coal producer Banpu shed 6.00 baht to close at 586.00, and PTT Plc lost 1.00 baht to 227.00 while its subsidiary PTT Exploration and Production was up 0.50 baht to 139.00. Bangkok Bank edged down 1.00 baht to 113.00, Kasikornbank shed 1.00 baht to 83.50 and Siam Commercial Bank dropped 1.25 baht to 83.75.