KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 18 ― Bursa Malaysia remained in the red at mid-afternoon on weak buying sentiment as traders turned cautious ahead of the outcome of today's Federal Open Market Committee meeting.

At 3.05pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) was 5.26 points lower at 1,636.36 from yesterday's close of 1,641.62, after opening 13.15 points weaker at 1,628.47.

Overall market breadth stayed unfavourable with 694 losers and 152 gainers, while 244 counters remained unchanged, 815 untraded and 24 others were suspended.

Volume stood at 1.52 billion units valued at RM1.00 billion.

Among heavyweights, Maybank eased one sen to RM9.29, Public Bank gained 14 sen to RM24.36, Tenaga fell 26 sen to RM12.66 and Petronas Chemicals lost six sen to RM9.12.

Of actives, VS Industry declined 15 sen to 67 sen, PriceWorth International was half-a-sen easier at 5.5 sen and Hibiscus Petroleum fell 10.5 sen to 89.5 sen.

The FBM Emas Index was 84.57 points lower at 11,173.47, the FBMT 100 Index declined 72.64 points to 11,089.82, the FBM 70 lost 229.16 points to 12,718.81, the FBM Emas Shariah Index fell sharply by 111.43 points to 11,076.49 and the FBM Ace Index erased 120.92 points to 4,141.95.

Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index gave up 66.37 points to 17,053.41, the Plantation Index trimmed 27.19 points to 6,531.91 and the Industrial Products and Services Index slipped 1.76 points to 163.68. ― Bernama