KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 — Share prices on Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session lower today on selling pressure amid escalating trade tensions between the US and China.
At 12.30pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) was 17.48 points lower at 1,591.85, compared with yesterday’s close of 1,609.33.
It opened 11.05 points lower at 1,598.28
On the broader market, losers surpassed gainers 491 to 88, while 485 counters remained unchanged, 902 untraded and 14 others suspended.
Turnover stood at 1.27 billion units worth RM861.2 million.
A dealer said the renewed selling is also set to reverse the FBM KLCI’s ongoing recovery process and leave sentiments on the wayside again.
“Still, there could be pockets of rotational interest as investors could pick up stocks that reported stronger sets of earnings, albeit the slew of results released thus far has been on the mixed-to-lower side,” he said.
Among heavyweights, Maybank lost eight sen to RM8.56, Public Bank eased 10 sen to RM20.72, TNB shed 16 sen to RM13.60 and Petronas Chemicals declined 18 sen to RM7.04.
IHH added five sen to RM5.73.
As for the actives, Ekovest eased two sen to 82.5 sen, DRB-Hicom fell 38 sen to RM2.57, Sapura slipped one sen to 26.5 sen and IWC reduced two sen to 93 sen.
Vsolar was flat at 13.5 sen.
On the scoreboard, the FBM Emas Index contracted 139.5 points to 11,246.65 points, the FBM Emas Shariah Index dwindled 162.2 points to 11,761.99 and the FBMT 100 Index shed 136.061 points to 11,083.26.
The FBM Ace shrank 25.67 points to 4,527.96 and the FBM 70 was 230.51 points lower at 13,949.94.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index decreased 156.521 points to 15,498.81, the Industrial Products and Services Index was lower by 2.52 points at 148.05 and the Plantation Index contracted 101.05 points to 6,740.64. — Bernama
