KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23 — Bursa Malaysia closed on easier note today weighed by the weaknesses of the regional stock markets amid further declines in oil prices, dealers said.

At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell eight points to close at 1,683.07 from yesterday’s close of 1,691.07 points.

It opened 6.32 points lower at 1,684.75 and moved between 1,680 and 1,689.96 throughout the day. A dealer said crude oil prices slipped yesterday on scepticisms the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries would reach a deal to cut production during informal talks next month in Algiers, Algeria.

Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, dropped 56 US cents to US$48.60 a barrel.

He said traders also stayed on the sidelines awaiting further catalysts from the US Federal Reserve Chair, Janet Yellen, who is scheduled to speak on Friday at an annual conference of central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, US.

On the scoreboard, the FBM Emas Index fell 49.75 points to 11,816.67, FBMT100 Index lost 49.08 points to 11,525.75 and the FBM Emas Shariah Index was 64.24 points lower at 12,443.75.

The FBM 70 fell 37.35 points to 13,630.54 and the FBM Ace shed 100.38 points to 5,434.43.

Sector-wise, the Finance Index was 1.11 points easier at 14,497.59, Industrial Index declined 37.17 points to 3,145.49 and the Plantation Index was down 12.78 points to 7,846.08.

Losers outpaced gainers by 579 to 263, while 388 counters were unchanged, 458 untraded and 17 others suspended.

Volume declined to 1.83 billion units worth RM1.73 billion from yesterday’s 1.85 to billion units worth RM1.47 billion.

Of the heavyweights, TNB added two sen to RM14.82 and Maybank earned one sen to RM8.

Petronas Chemicals eased two sen to RM6.66.

Public Bank and IHH were flat at RM19.80 and RM6.68 respectively.

Among actives, AirAsia X and M3 Technologies slipped one sen each to 46 sen and 9.5 sen respectively and Iris lost two sen to 17.5 sen.

Dagang NeXchange rose half-a-sen to 25 sen. Borneo Oil was flat at 18.5 sen.

Main Market turnover rose to 1.11 billion shares worth RM1.61 billion from yesterday’s 1.06 billion shares worth RM1.34 billion.

The ACE Market volume declined to 269.74 million units valued at RM51.74 million from yesterday’s 343.96 million units valued at RM62.35 million.

Warrants shrank to 448.64 million shares worth RM65.20 million from 450.02 million shares worth RM71.08 million yesterday.

Consumer products accounted for 69.87 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products (181.64 million), construction (38.39 million), trade and services (573.12 million), technology (92.4 million), infrastructure (7.92 million), SPAC (8.1 million), finance (49.37 million), hotels (227,800), properties (54.64 million), plantations (25.19 million), mining (nil), REITs (15.23 million) and closed/fund (10,100). — Bernama