KUALA LUMPUR, March 22 — Bursa Malaysia was lower in early trade Monday after benchmark US Treasury yields edged back from the highest in more than a year last Friday.
At 9.12am, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 3.34 points to 1,622.85 from last Friday’s close of 1,626.19.
The index was 2.28 points higher at 1,628.47 at 9am and turned easier one minute after opening.
On the broader market, losers outpaced gainers 324 to 268, while 358 counters were unchanged, 1,287 untraded and 37 others suspended.
Total volume stood at 836.49 million shares worth RM340.87 million.
Public Bank Investment Bank Bhd said investors digested the US Federal Reserve’s move not to extend a temporary pandemic regulatory break expiring this month, and oil prices rebounded from severe slides.
Among heavyweights, PBBank and PChem both earned one sen each to RM4.24 and RM8.23, respectively, while Tenaga gained 20 sen to RM10.76.
However, the biggest lender, Maybank erased one sen to RM8.37.
As for active counters, Macpie improved 11.5 sen to 67 sen and its warrant advanced half-a-sen to 12.5 sen, Dynacia and AT were flat at 15 sen and 11.5 sen, respectively.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index weakened 26.93 points to 11,896.28, while the FBMT 100 eased 29.59 points to 11,571.99, and the FBM Emas Shariah edged down 32.22 points to 13,197.67.
The FBM 70 reduced 62.37 points to 15,626.97 while the FBM ACE was 140.77 points better at 10,775.64.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index fell 2.51 points to 15,507.14, the Plantation Index dropped 16.46 points to 7,159.16, while the Industrial Products and Services Index advanced 0.35 of-a-point at 193.48. — Bernama
