Stock Market

Malaysian shares closed down 1.80 percent on Monday following declines on Wall Street and regional markets, dealers said. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index lost 16.09 points to 869.34, with losers outnumbering gainers 330 to 144. "Asian markets were sharply lower after Wall Street stocks succumbed to profit-taking on Friday and banks hinted that March had been a tougher month than the previous two," investment bank CIMB told Dow Jones Newswires.