Malaysian share prices closed 0.25 percent lower on Wednesday as investors took profits in a rangebound market, dealers said. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index was down 2.28 points at 919.43. Volume was 485.23 million shares, worth some 967.57 million ringgit (254.62 million dollars). Losers led gainers 390 to 331, while 319 stocks were unchanged and 262 untraded. "Trading interest seems to be centred on stocks that have announced some corporate developments such as Scomi Group and Habib Corp," a local brokerage dealer said.

He expected the market to remain in rangebound trade Thursday, with resistance at 924 points.

Among blue chips, Tenaga Nasional was down 0.20 ringgit at 10.60 ringgit.

While both Telekom Malaysia and Malayan Banking were flat at 10.90 and 12.40 respectively.

Golden Hope Plantations Bhd was up 0.04 ringgit at 3.78 on reports that it planned to increase its oil palm plantations in Indonesia.

Scomi Group was up 0.06 ringgit at 1.76 and Habib Corp was up 0.44 ringgit at 2.90 on requotation after the latter announced it had agreed to buy the marine assets and business of Singapore's Chuan Hup Holdings.

AirAsia was up 0.02 ringgit at 1.81 after Morgan Stanley Capital International Inc (MSCI) announced it was adding the low-cost carrier to its global MSCI Standard Index Series.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2005