Thai shares on selling spree

At the close, the Index was at 1,492.52 points, losing 28.96 per cent or 1.90 per cent. Turnover was as high as Bt83.88 billion.

Local institutional investors remained net-sellers today, with net sells worth Bt2.37 billion. The market was shored up by foreign net-buys of Bt2.5 billion. At one point, the Index today plunged to 1,477.28 points, the lowest since mid-July.

"Looking at foreign markets and the Fed's interest rateoutlook, I think it's not an external factor but rather an internal one," Canakas Chirasevenupraphund, head ofresearch of Capital Nomura Securities, told Reuters. "What we see now is selling from institutional investors."

The Reuters report mentioned His Majesty the King's health.

Other markets elsewhere staged the biggest jump in over a month, after weaker-than-expected US jobs figures gave investors another excuse to push back Federal Reserve interest rate rise expectations.

In Asia overnight, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan ended up 1.6 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei rose 0.7 per cent to its highest close since May 31.

European shares touched a four-month high led by mining and oil firms as crude prices jumped more than 3 per cent for the second straight session in the commodity markets.