KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 — Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session lower today, as sentiment turned cautious on the US Federal Reserve’s (Fed) plan, to trim its US$4.5 trillion balance sheet later this year. 

At 12.30pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 4.74 points to 1,739.93. The key index opened 0.14 of-a-point higher at 1,744.81. 

Maybank Investment Bank said the Fed’s hawkish stance in wanting pare down its balance sheet may spook the local market today. 

"We expect the benchmark index to range between 1,736 and 1,750. Support is pegged at 1,736 and 1,715,” it said in a note today. 

Market breadth was negative as losers outpaced gainers 488 to 392, with 342 counters unchanged and 487 untraded, with 19 others suspended.

Turnover stood at 2.33 billion shares worth RM1.34 billion.  

Among heavyweights, YTL Corp added one sen to RM1.52, Astro gained two sen to RM2.78, TNB and Petronas Chemicals were flat at RM13.76 and RM7.77, while Maybank eased one sen to RM8.94 and Public Bank declined six sen to RM19.88. 

Of the actives, IFCA MSC increased three sen to 47 sen, Bio Osmo rose 1.5 sen to 10 sen, Johan Holdings went up 4.5 sen to 24 sen and Dagang Nexchange shed 1.5 sen to 4.5 sen. 

The local bourse also moved in tandem with regional markets ahead of US President Donald Trump’s meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping today.   

Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 1.70 per cent to 18,541.06, Singapore’s Straits Times Index declined 0.35 per cent to 3,165.45 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.60 per cent to 24,255.26. 

On Bursa Malaysia, the FBM Emas Index was 32.10 points lower at 12,414.87 and the FBMT100 Index depreciated 32.31 points to 12,041.87, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index slid 25.38 points to 12,896.83.  

The FBM 70 went down 37.53 points to 14,729.79, but the FBM Ace expanded 64.06 points to 6,064.88.    

On a sectoral basis, the Finance Index depreciated 57.45 points to 15,676.79, the Industrial Index went down 8.01 points to 3,256.84, and the Plantation Index eased 2.76 points to 8,193.57.  

Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd has issued an unusual market activity query to JHM Consolidated Bhd due to the sharp rise in price of the company’s shares recently.

JHM Consolidated soared 13 sen to RM4.29, with 429,500 shares changing hands.— Bernama