Malaysian shares ended the week in the red zone, snapping yesterday's gains on profit-taking activities. The selling was in line with the retreat on Wall Street last night.

The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI, the main gauge of Malaysian stocks, shed 9.78 points to end 0.60% lower at 1,619.40.

The index opened higher but kept paring gains as the session progressed. The day ranged between 1,614.83 and 1,624.96.

In economic news, Malaysia's headline inflation remained steady at 1.8% in April for the third consecutive month, according to a Friday release from the country's Department of Statistics. The figure was below Reuters' consensus estimate for a 1.9% increase.

Elsewhere, Malaysia's Leading Index rose 2.3% to 112.2 points in March from 109.7 points in the year-ago period, according to data released by the country's statistics department. The increase suggests a potential improvement in the country's economic performance in the coming months, reflecting business sentiment and economic activity that will occur four to six months ahead.

In corporate news, shares of the property developer Talam Transform (KLSE:TALAMT) slumped over 33%, and those of the end-to-end mobile application service provider Nexgram Holdings (KLSE:NEXGRAM) dropped 20% on Friday's close.