KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 ― Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session lower today on profit-taking on selective heavyweights and lower-liners, and in tracking its regional peers and overnight sell-off on Wall Street, dealers said.
At 12.30pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) stood 3.53 points lower at 1,854.82 from Monday’s 1,858.35.
The benchmark index opened 4.85 points easier at 1,853.50 and moved between 1,853.40 and 1,858.78 throughout the morning session.
Losers led gainers 587 to 182, while 332 counters were unchanged, 771 untraded and 21 others suspended.
Volume stood at 896.37 million units valued at RM688.58 million.
A dealer said renewed concerns over US-China trade tensions, dragged Japan's Nikkei 225 lower by 0.63 per cent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index by 0.60 per cent and Singapore's Straits Times by 0.91 per cent.
China has raised tariffs by up to 25 per cent on selective US food products, in response to US duties on the import of aluminum and steel.
Among heavyweights, Maybank was flat at RM10.52, Public Bank added two sen to RM23.92, Tenaga was four sen weaker at RM16.16, CIMB gained one sen to RM7.21 and Petronas Chemicals eased one sen to RM8.28.
For other actives, PUC rose one sen to 27 sen, Hibiscus Petroleum was down 1.5 sen to 83.5 sen and Sapura Energy, half-a-sen lower at 54 sen.
The FBM Emas Index was down 36.70 points to 12,974.77, the FBMT 100 Index was 29.40 points easier at 12,785.97 and the FBM Emas Shariah Index dipped 57.58 points to 13,145.34.
The FBM 70 eased 52.96 points to 15,512.92 and the FBM Ace tumbled 111.51 points to 5,282.26.
Sector-wise, the Finance Index was 19.85 points better at 18,155.76, the Industrial Index increased 2.15 points firmer at 3,230.21 and the Plantation Index was up 6.38 points to 8,007.19. ― Bernama
