KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 28 — Bursa Malaysia ended steady today with the local benchmark index adding 1.40 points to 1,628.66, amid mixed performance in other regional bourses, dealers said.

The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) moved between 1,623.62 and 1,630.63 points throughout the day, after opening 1.89 points lower at 1,625.37.

However, market breadth was negative as losers outweighed gainers 594 to 225 with 318 counters unchanged, 605 untraded and 81 suspended.

Volume rose to 1.32 billion shares worth RM1.44 billion from 1.28 billion shares worth RM1.24 billion on Friday last week.

A dealer said the local bourse saw tight range trading today as buying in selected heavyweight counters helped to lift the barometer index higher.

"The local bourse tracks its regional peers which are traded mixed today, affected by a further slide in crude oil prices amid concerns over the outcome of this week’s meeting of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC),” he said.

The OPEC will meet on Wednesday in Vienna to try and finalise the terms of its first production decrease in eight years but Iran and Iraq have failed to agree to a reduction.

"The developments send jitters to the outcome and suggest that cartel members may fail to agree on production cuts,” he added.

Among Asian stock markets, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.13 per cent to 18,356.89, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.47 per cent to 22,830, Korea’s Kospi improved 0.19 per cent at 1,978.13 and Singapore’s Straits Times was up by 0.53 per cent to 2,874.47.

Among heavyweights, TNB shed six sen to RM14.14, Maybank slipped five sen to RM7.75, Public Bank added four sen to RM19.54, Sime Darby improved six sen to RM8.16 while Petronas Chemicals was flat at RM6.79.

Of active stocks, AirAsia X shed 1.5 sen to 37 sen, Hibiscus Petroleum eased two sen to 29 sen, FGV slid 12 sen to RM1.44. Bumi Armada dipped four sen to 51 sen while Reach Energy warrant was flat at eight sen.

The FBM Emas Index fell 20.21 points to 11,404.11, the FBMT100 Index slipped 13.75 points to 11,129.85 and the FBM 70 dropped 100.90 points to 13,078.09.

The FBM Emas Shariah Index gave up 33.13 points to 11,960.11 and the FBM Ace shed 47.21 points to 4,859.90.

Sector-wise, the Finance Index slid 30.48 points for 14,166.11, the Plantation Index lost 61.94 points to 7,667.10 but the Industrial Index was 2.55 points higher at 3,088.83.

Main Market turnover increased to 855.98 million units worth RM1.36 billion from last Friday’s 839.56 million units worth RM1.16 billion.

The ACE Market volume rose to 175.04 million shares valued at RM26.73 million from 147.07 million shares valued at RM33.42 million.

Warrants advanced to 283.66 million units worth RM44.22 million compared with 259.98 million units worth RM46.83 million last Friday.

Consumer products accounted for 34.02 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products (191.39 million), construction (78.54 million), trade and services (301.78 million), technology (45.73 million), infrastructure (10.15 million), SPAC (47.96 million), finance (39.55 million), hotels (411,000) properties (39.56 million), plantations (59.52 million), mining (10,000), REITs (7.31 million), and closed/fund (51,000). — Bernama