KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 — Persistent selling on plantation and telecommunication counters kept Bursa Malaysia in the red at mid-afternoon and traded below the crucial 1,600-point level.
At 3pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) dropped 5.74 points to 1,590.54 from yesterday’s close of 1,596.28.
The index opened 1.33 points better at 1,597.61.
Market breadth was negative as losers thumped winners 408 to 272 with 416 counters unchanged, 891 untraded and 18 others suspended.
Turnover stood at 1.68 billion shares worth RM1.08 billion.
Of the top losers, KL Kepong lost 60 sen to RM22.80, Nestle decreased 40 sen to RM145.40, BAT erased 28 sen to RM19.72, Digi reduced eight sen to RM4.68 and Maxis fell seven sen to RM5.63.
Among heavyweights, Maybank increased three sen to RM8.67, Public Bank lost four sen to RM20.12, while TNB and Petronas Chemicals were flat at RM13.62 and RM7.70 respectively.
The FBM Emas Index declined 29.78 points to 11,246.81, the FBMT 100 Index dropped 30.79 points to 11,078.65 and the FBM Emas Shariah Index shed 49.15 points to 11,783.02.
The FBM 70 depreciated 0.91 of-a-point to 13,962.52 but the FBM Ace rose 21.14 points to 4,546.68.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index rose 0.17 of-a-point to 15,423.26, the Plantation Index weaker by 63.66 points to 6,722.46 and the Industrial Products & Services Index was 0.49 of-a-point lower at 153.88. — Bernama
