KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 ― Bursa Malaysia remained lower at mid-morning amid mixed sentiment on the regional market due to emerging profit-taking in selected consumer products and financial services counters, dealers said.

At 11am, the benchmark index FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) shed 10.96 points to 1,599.19.

The market opened 0.93 of-a-point higher at 1,611.08.

Market breadth was negative with losers outpacing gainers 579 to 409, while 431 counters were unchanged, 745 untraded and 18 others suspended.

Total volume stood at 6.92 billion worth RM1.85 billion.

A dealer said Asian bourses were mixed in the early session today as investors weighed escalating Covid-19 cases in the US against optimism over a vaccine.

Among the heavyweights, Maybank slipped 17 sen to RM8.13, Public Bank went down 22 sen to RM18.68, TNB declined 6.0 sen to RM11.36 and Top Glove fell 5.0 sen to RM6.95.

However, Petronas Chemicals rose 7.0 sen to RM6.72.

Of the actives, Pegasus earned half-a-sen to 3.5 sen, NETX was flat at 17.5 sen, while AT Systematization slipped 2.5 sen to 22 sen, and Sanichi trimmed 1.0 sen to 6.5 sen.

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index was 71.51 points lower at 11,484.83, the FBMT 100 Index fell 74.93 points to 11,271.89 and the FBM Emas Shariah Index trimmed 22.49 points to 13,191.47.

The FBM ACE contracted 41.72 points to 11,277.53 and the FBM 70 decreased 88.67 points to 14,715.14.

The Industrial Products and Services Index earned 0.57 of-a-point to 158.31, the Plantation Index perked 71.22 points to 7,382.82 and the Financial Services Index reduced 215.76 points to 14,239.93. ― Bernama