KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 6 — Share prices on Bursa Malaysia closed mixed with market lifted by strong buying in second and third liner counters despite profit taking on blue chips, dealers said.

At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) declined 5.56 points to 1,829.18 after hovering between 1,829.13 and 1,836.74 throughout the day.

However, advancers led decliners 538 to 262, with 271 counters unchanged, 476 untraded and 16 others were suspended.

Volume rose to 1.96 billion shares, worth RM1.84 billion, from 1.31 billion shares, valued at RM1.62 billion, on Friday.

Weakness in key heavyweight index-linked counters dragged the benchmark index lower led by profit-taking in consumer and industrial products in line with regional markets.

The key US equity indices ended between -0.3 per cent and +0.2 per cent last Friday as investors turned cautious over latest macroeconomics development.

“The US Federal Reserve might accelerate the pace of its tapering process on the back of rising economic momentum,” said HwangDBS Vickers Research in a note.

Meanwhile, Inter-Pacific Research Sdn Bhd Head of Research Pong Teng Siew said there were strong buying interest in second and third liners.

“The rally has been quite strong in all sectors especially in construction,” he told Bernama.

This trend resurfaced after the market lost 26.32 points, week-on-week, as some post window-dressing selling activities in 2013 pushed the index down on higher volumes.

On the scoreboard, the Finance Index lost 33.199 points to 16,770.9, the Industrial Index fell 28.19 points to 3,103.8 and the Plantation Index slipped 56.35 points to 8,770.66.

The FBM Emas Index declined 10.79 points to 12,667.96, the FBMT 100 Index lost 20.77 points to 12,381.95 but the FBM Ace advanced 108.68 points to 5,785.2 and the FBM 70 increased 43.16 points to 14,136.9.

Among actives, Hubline gained half-a-sen to 6.5 sen, Ingenuity Consolidated rose one sen to nine sen and Sumatec added two sen to 30 sen.

Of heavyweights, Maybank increased two sen to RM9.93, Tenaga added 12 sen to RM11.12 but Axiata was flat at RM6.80.

Eco World Development Group, which was queried by Bursa Malaysia over the sharp rise in the stock’s price and volume, fell three sen to RM4.36.

At mid-day, its share price jumped 45 sen to RM4.84 with 3.10 million shares traded.

Meanwhile, volume on the Main Market increased to 1.46 billion shares, worth RM1.73 billion, from last Friday’s 1.08 billion shares valued at RM1.56 billion.

Turnover on the ACE market rose to 438.04 million shares, worth RM93.77 million, from 180.78 million shares valued at RM46.08 million on Friday.

However, warrants amounted to 53.7 million shares, valued at RM6.44 million, up from last Friday’s 40.65 million shares valued at RM4.94 million.

Meanwhile, consumer products accounted for 130.53 million shares on the Main Market, industrial products 192.78 million, construction 109.88 million, trade and services 633.59 million, technology 53.1 million, infrastructure 12.18 million, SPAC 22.66 million, finance 57.95 million, hotels 579,500, properties 215.23 million, plantations 31.49 million, mining 44,200, REITs 4.72 million and closed/fund 52,200. — Bernama