KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 ― Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session easier in line with regional peers, amid profit taking in selected heavyweights, as traders were inclined towards consumer and trade/service stocks.

At 12.30pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) was 7.64 points easier at 1,751.6 from yesterday's close of 1,759.24.

The barometer index moved between 1,749.52 and 1,758.63 throughout the morning session, after opening 0.73 points weaker at 1,758.51.

Nestle appeared the biggest decliner, easing 20 sen to RM147.60 with 18,600 shares changing hands.

A dealer said most Asian stocks receded, after China's central bank made a move to ease the yuan mid-point, which caused the currency to depreciate amid the trade predicament with the US.

The decline in the yuan was also concurrent with US President Donald Trump's defying the convention of not commenting on monetary policy, when he said that he wasn’t thrilled about the US Federal Reserve’s current hikes.

"As a result, the yuan declined to an almost 13-month low, inadvertently making it competitive and attractive to investors,” he said.

Meanwhile, Public Investment Bank Bhd said in a note that Asian markets traded listlessly earlier in the day amid a lack of fresh leads with some losing momentum after initially trading higher on the back of Wall Street's gains.

On the home front, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today assured investors that Malaysia will continue to be a business-friendly nation and will continue to welcome more foreign and domestic direct investments.

The premier said the new government would enhance anti-corruption practices to ensure a clean business environment and fair play.

Regionally, the Singapore Straits Times Index increased 0.43 per cent to 3,291.66, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index declined 0.54 per cent to 27,858.23  and China's SSE Composite Index eased 0.12 per cent to 2,769.2.

On Bursa, market breadth was positive with decliners outpacing gainers 467 to 288, while 386 counters were unchanged, 794 untraded and 38 others suspended.

Volume stood at 1.72 billion units valued at RM1.25 billion.

Of the heavyweights, Maybank decreased one sen to RM9.80, Tenaga was eight sen lower at RM14.84, Petronas Chemicals declined six sen to RM8.74, CIMB trimmed five sen to RM5.81, while Public Bank improved two sen to RM23.92.

Among actives, Iskandar Waterfront City was up nine sen at 83.5 sen, MyEG rose eight sen to RM1.20, the latest ACE Market debutant Nova Wellness improved 21 sen to 76 sen, Ekovest gained one sen to RM73 sen, while MRCB was flat at 71 sen.

The FBM Emas Index decreased 44.57 points to 12,397.67, the FBMT100 Index declined 47.43 points to 12,188.82 and the FBM70 eased 37.97 points to 15,212.17.

The FBM Emas Shariah Index was 45.88 points lower at 12,490.28 as the FBM Ace Index decreased 15.7 points to 5,373.01.

Sector-wise, the Finance Index trimmed 37.05 points to 17,313.71, the Industrial Index was 0.36 of-a-point easier at 3,219.61 and the Plantation Index declined 16.47 points to 7,476.72. ― Bernama