KUALA LUMPUR
Share prices in Bursa Malaysia were mixed at close today amid mounting concerns on when the US credit crunch will come to an end, dealers said.

The benchmark Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) slipped 3.66 points to end at 1,024.74 after opening 2.01 points lower at 1,026.39 in the morning.

Throughout the session, the KLCI moved between 1,019.46 and 1,029.56.

Dealers said some concern arises on how prudent and effective the Washington US$700 billion plan was going to be for the larger economy.

They said the market hoped the massive plan announced on Sunday could help buy bad debts from banks to prevent more bank failures and deepen recession.

The Industrial Index rose 10.11 points to 2,233.01 but Finance Index eased 28.37 points to 8,312.38 and the Plantation Index slipped 53.60 points to 4,993.78.

The FBM30 fell 41.83 points to 6,607.08, the FBMEmas lost 34.63 points to 6,795.90, the FBM-MDQ went down 61.70 points to 3,928.70 and the FBM-2BRD eased 55.12 points to 5,003.45.

Losers led gainers by 310 to 209 while 224 counters were unchanged, 601 untraded and 26 others suspended.

Volume amounted to 372.774 million shares worth RM612.045 million (S$253.87 million) today, a decline from Wednesday's 450.304 million shares worth RM739.972 million.

HONG KONG
Hong Kong share prices closed down 0.2 per cent on Thursday, as early gains were wiped out by continuing worries about the US government bailout of the financial system, dealers said.

The Hang Seng Index closed down 27.56 points at 18,934.43 while turnover was light at 52.24 billion Hong Kong dollars (S$9.5 billion).

Bank of East Asia (BEA) ended up 3.4 per cent, as assurances that rumours about the bank's stability were false boosted confidence.

Hundreds of savers had mobbed branches across the city in the past two days after text message rumours the bank was heavily exposed to assets linked to Lehman Brothers and AIG.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the city's de facto central bank, and Financial Secretary John Tsang insisted the city's banking system was safe and that BEA was in a strong position.

HKMA also injected 3.88 billion Hong Kong dollars into the banking system on Thursday to ease lingering worries over credit and liquidity.

SHANGHAI
Chinese share prices closed up 3.64 per cent on Thursday led by securities firms amid hopes that China will launch margin trading very soon, dealers said.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index, which covers A and B shares, was up 80.69 points at 2,297.50 on turnover of 83.5 billion yuan (S$17.5 billion).

The Shanghai A-share index added 84.77 points, or 3.64 per cent, to 2,412.91 points on turnover of 83.3 billion yuan, while the Shenzhen A-share index jumped 19.38 points, or 3.13 per cent, to 638.45 on turnover of 32.4 billion yuan.

TOKYO
Japanese share prices closed down 0.90 per cent on Thursday on continued nervousness about prospects for a proposed US financial sector rescue package.

Financial shares were among the falling stocks on Asia's largest bourse with a proposed US$700 billion emergency Wall Street bailout stuck in limbo.

Tokyo Stock Exchange' benchmark kkei-225 index lost 108.50 points to 12,006.53.

The broader Topix index of all first-section shares dropped 14.02 points or 1.21 per cent to 1,153.95. -- AFP, BERNAMA, REUTERS