Share prices closed the morning slightly higher in tandem with the rise on Wall Street overnight but the market lacked a clear direction in the run-up to the Sept 11 anniversary as well as uncertainty over whether the US would lead a strike against Iraq, dealers said.

Share prices closed the morning lower on the back of falls on Wall Street, coupled with rising concerns about the US economy, after the US Federal Reserve shifted to an easing bias in its monetary stance, dealers said.