Stock Market

Malaysian shares closed up 0.50 percent Thursday led by banking stocks, dealers said. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index gained 4.22 points to 852.18, with advancers outnumbering decliners 230 to 215. "Gains were quite strong at the opening but selling emerged towards the later part of the day and chipped away part of the gains," a dealer told Dow Jones Newswires.