Malaysian shares ended in the red territory on Thursday, after the day started with gains, tracking Chinese stocks, as investors remained optimistic that Beijing would implement further monetary easing to combat persistent deflationary pressures. The gains however fizzled out at the end of the trading day.

The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI, the main gauge of Malaysian stocks, slipped 0.75 points to end 0.05% lower at 1,512.36. The day ranged between 1,512.36 and 1,521.18.

In economic news, the country's wholesale and retail trade logged 143.9 billion ringgit in sales value for December 2023, a growth of 4.8%. The services sector, meanwhile, recorded a total revenue of 591.4 billion ringgit in Q4, up 6.6% from the same period last year. Finally, Malaysia's volume index of services increased 4.1% to 148.5 points in Q4, which brings the total growth in 2023 performance to 5.6%.

In corporate news, shares of MNRB Holdings Bhd (KLSE: MNRB) gained over 14% after the investment holding company reported a year-over-year increase in both its top and bottom lines in Q3, with revenue jumping 22% to 980.9 million ringgit while profit surged 47.3% to 84.6 million ringgit.

Meanwhile, shares of Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad (KLSE:CARLSBG) rose more than 1% after the producer of beer, stout, cider, shandy and non-alcoholic beverages reported improved Q4 profit and earnings per share despite a year-over-year decline in its revenue.