KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 — Bursa Malaysia was marginally lower at midday, with the key index recovering in late session but retreated a few minutes before the morning trading session ended, as mixed market sentiments took a toll on risk appetites.

At 12.30pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slipped 0.67 of-a-point to 1,427.37 from 1,428.04 at yesterday’s close.

The barometer index opened 2.59 points weaker at 1,425.45, and moved between 1,424.97 and 1,428.12 throughout the session.

The broader market saw losers trouncing gainers 436 to 274, while 387 counters were unchanged, 1,150 untraded and 14 others suspended.

Turnover stood at 1.55 billion units worth RM910.77 million.

Demand in the local bourse was influenced by the optimism over the United States debt ceiling and a spate of disappointing economic data from China, leaving investors to make no major position, a dealer said.

Among heavyweights, Maybank, Public Bank, CIMB and IHH Healthcare were one sen lower each to RM8.75, RM3.96, RM5.00 and RM5.94 respectively, Petronas Chemicals lost six sen to RM6.95, while Tenaga Nasional gained two sen to RM9.81.

Main Market debutant DXN Holdings remained the most actively traded stock, slipping by 3.5 sen to 66.5 sen from its initial public offering price of 70 sen.

As for the other active counters, YTL Corporation rose 2.5 sen to 76.5 sen, Top Glove bagged two sen to RM1.19, while Bahvest added one sen to 13 sen.

Meanwhile, the short selling of Berjaya Food’s shares has been suspended for the rest of the day after its last done price dropped by more than 15 sen or 15 per cent from the reference price.

In a filing today, Bursa Malaysia Securities said the short selling of the shares under the proprietary day trading (PDT) and intraday short selling (IDSS) would only be reactivated on Monday, May 22 at 8.30 am.

Berjaya Food was last traded at 65 sen, down 17.5 sen or 21.21 per cent, with 54.5 million shares traded.

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index dipped 10.03 points to 10,471.73, the FBMT 100 Index slid 7.97 points to 10,166.92, the FBM Emas Shariah Index declined 7.76 points to 10,845.74, the FBM 70 Index went down 23.86 points to 13,661.67, and the FBM ACE Index shaved off 10.47 points to 4,978.65.

Sector-wise, the Industrial Products and Services Index slipped 0.63 of-a-point to 165.37, the Plantation Index shed 18.34 points for 7,040.66, and the Financial Services Index fell 23.91 points to 15,545.03.

The Energy Index, however, edged up 0.22 of-a-point to 845.26. — Bernama