KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 — Bursa Malaysia ended on an easier note today, with the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) down 9.88 points to 1,789.07 despite the better-than-expected 2014 gross domestic product growth.

Malaysia’s economy grew by six per cent last year after recording a 5.8 per cent growth in the fourth quarter, mainly driven by private sector spending.

The key index fluctuated between 1,780.21 and 1,791 throughout the session mostly dragged down by selling in blue-chips led by TNB.            

TNB finished 76 sen weaker at RM13.64 with 65.92 million shares transacted.

Several plantation stocks recovered after the government said it would not extend the 4.5 per cent export tax exemption on crude palm oil after February.

KLK rose 48 sen to RM22.98, FGV perked nine sen to RM2.59, Batu Kawan added six sen to RM18.72 and CI Holdings gained 10 sen to RM1.12.

On the scoreboard, the FBM Emas Index was 54.28 points lower at 12,347.22, FBM 70 erased 26.48 points to 13,431.84, FBMT100 Index lost 56.84 points to 12,031.26, FBM Ace gave up 71.25 points for 6,338.54 and FBM Emas Syariah Index fell 82.53 points to 12,803.77.

On a sectoral basis, the Finance Index went down 35.4 points to 15,868.43, and the Industrial Index eased 5.48 points to 3,257.6.

The Plantation Index chalked up 56.15 points to 8,109.7.

Losers outpaced gainers by 436 to 326, while 329 counters were unchanged, 664 untraded and 12 others suspended. 

Total turnover decreased to 1.68 billion units valued at RM2.51 billion from 2.19 billion units valued at RM2.36 billion transacted yesterday.

Among actives, Perisai Petroleum gained 2.5 sen to 61.5 sen but Asia Bioenergy shed half-a-sen to 13 sen.

Of the heavyweights, Maybank trimmed three sen to RM9.07, Public Bank eased four sen to RM18.52, Axiata slipped two sen to RM7.05 and Sime Darby shed one sen to RM9.49.        

The Main Market volume slipped to 1.14 billion shares valued at RM2.4 billion from 1.55 billion shares valued at RM2.22 billion yesterday. 

Turnover on the ACE Market shrank to 402.45 million units worth RM69.97 million from yesterday’s 512.63 million units worth RM119.28 million.

Warrants increased to 135.94 million shares valued at RM35.57 million from 121.02 million shares valued at RM26.38 million previously.

Consumer products accounted for 139.37 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products (169.26 million), construction (53.7 million), trade and services (542.39 million), technology (76.09 million), infrastructure (11.34 million), SPAC (9.24 million), finance (37.91 million), hotels (2.09 million), properties (73.31 million), plantations (15.42 million), mining (55,200), REITs (10.27 million) and closed/fund (310,500). — Bernama