KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 16 — Shares on Bursa Malaysia retreated from last week’s gains to close easier today. However, window-dressing activities in selected heavyweights and index-linked counters limited the fall, a dealer said.

The composite index FBM KLCI ended 2.47 points lower at 1,837.88, after fluctuating between 1,834.11 and 1,841.81 throughout the day.

Astro Malaysia declined 11 sen to RM2.93 with 1.172 million lots traded. This dragged down the FBM KLCI by 1.034 points.

Inter-Pacific Research Sdn Bhd Head of Research, Pong Teng Siew, said most regional equity markets extended their losses after a preliminary reading of Chinese manufacturing activity showed December declined to a three-month low.

“The disappointing data hurt market sentiments, which set the downtrend tone in most of Asian markets, including Bursa Malaysia” he told Bernama.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 250.20 points to 15,152.91, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gave up 131.30 points to 23,114.66 and Singapore’s Straits Times erased 12.25 points to 3,053.77.

Another dealer said fund managers stayed on the sidelines ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s policy meeting tomorrow.

The outcome of meeting will indicate when the central bank will start slowing the pace of its economic stimulus, the dealer added.

The Finance Index lost 40.29 points to 16,793.02, Industrial Index trimmed 11.83 points to 3,087.75 and the Plantation Index fell 36.04 points to 8,989.52.

The FBM Emas Index fell 19.68 points to 12,677.53, FBMT100 Index eased 16.65 points to 12,410.64 and the FBM 70 declined 18.64 points to 14,048.98.

The FBM Ace, however, rose 14.04 points to 5,642.73.

Losers outnumbered gainers by 467 to 285, with 298 counters unchanged, 511 untraded and 31 others were suspended.

Volume slipped to 1.148 billion shares worth RM1.49 billion from Friday’s 1.182 billion shares worth RM1.68 billion.

Among actives, Sumatec Resources shed half-a-sen to 28.5 sen and Barakah Offshore eased three sen to RM1.53. Tiger Synergy was flat at 23 sen.    

Of the heavyweights, both Maybank and CIMB lost four sen each to RM9.98 and RM7.69, respectively, TNB fell eight sen to RM11.00 and Sime Darby shed two sen to RM9.57.

Axiata Group was flat at RM6.75.   

Volume on the Main Market decreased to 877.111 million units worth RM1.409 billion from 909.758 million units worth RM1.607 billion on Friday.

Turnover on the ACE market rose to 230.415 million shares valued at RM66.455 million from 225.264 million shares valued at RM64.72 million last week

Warrants narrowed to 25.118 million units worth RM3.458 million, from 37.481 million units worth RM5.016 million previously.      

Consumer products accounted for 67.767 million shares on the Main Market, industrial products 101.577 million, construction 32.936 million, trade and services 338.577 million, technology 30.412 million, infrastructure 21.944 million, SPAC 29.132 million, finance 127.174 million, hotels 518,600, properties 106.97 million, plantations 13.574 million, mining 10,000, REITs 6.394 million and closed/fund 122,500. — Bernama