SET up 2% as foreign funds pile into Thailand

In the morning session, an analyst at Krungsri Securities expected the day’s index to fluctuate between 1,440 and 1,460 points, buoyed by foreign fund inflows in response to positive news of a Covid-19 vaccine.

"However, we advise investors to speculate for short-term profits, as the falling oil price and tight valuation will pressure the index," he said.

Also significant for the SET would be today’s Cabinet approval for the second phase of the "Khon La Khrueng" (Let's Go Halves) scheme and the Bt3.4-billion extension of the MRT Pink Line, he added.

The 10 stocks with the highest trade value today were KBANK, PTT, SAK, DELTA, SCB, AOT, ADVANC, PTTGC, PTTEP and KCE.

As of 4.30pm, the price of oil rose by US$0.11 or 0.24 per cent to $45.87 per barrel, while gold rose by $1.70 or 0.09 per cent, to $1,867.70 per ounce.

Other Asian indices were mixed:

Japan’s Nikkei Index closed at 26,467.08, down 80.36 points or 0.30 per cent.

China’s Shang Hai SE Composite Index closed at 3,410.18, down 6.43 points or 0.19 per cent., while Shenzhen SE Component Index closed at 13,973.89, up 0.41 points or 0.0029 per cent.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index closed at 26,304.56, down 202.29 points or 0.76 per cent.

South Korea's KOSPI Index closed at 2,700.93, down 44.51 points or 1.62 per cent.

Taiwan's TAIEX Index closed at 14,360.40, up 103.80 points or 0.73 per cent.