KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — Bursa Malaysia stayed lower at mid-afternoon, with financial-related counters trading in a mixed mode following Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) decision to maintain the overnight policy rate (OPR) at 1.75 per cent.
At 3.10pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) lost 8.47 points to 1,567.20 from yesterday’s close of 1,575.67.
The barometer index opened 3.58 points weaker at 1,572.09 and moved between 1,556.0 and 1,573.68 throughout the morning session.
On the broader market, losers outnumbered gainers 860 to 255, while 367 counters were unchanged, 674 untraded and 15 others suspended.
Total volume stood at 4.59 billion shares worth RM3.13 billion.
Among the banking heavyweights, HLFG eased two sen to RM16.46, HLBank fell 10 sen to RM17.56, Public Bank lost three sen to RM4.08, while Maybank was flat at RM8.21.
CIMB and RHB, however, rose one sen and three sen to RM4.07 and RM5.18, respectively.
BNM, in statement today, said the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) considered the stance of monetary policy to be appropriate and accommodative, given the uncertainties surrounding the pandemic.
The central bank said the stance of monetary policy going forward will continue to be determined by new data and information, and their implications on the overall outlook for inflation and domestic growth.
Among the 30 FBM KLCI component stocks, PetChem and TNB slid one sen each to RM8.15 and RM9.89, respectively, while IHH rebounded 24 sen to RM5.44, and Maxis rose six sen to RM4.56.
Among the actives, Focus Dynamics declined one sen to nine sen, Dataprep weakened 12 sen to RM1.83, and Supermax slipped 64 sen to RM4.93.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index was 75.21 points lower at 11,529.63, the FBM Emas Shariah Index eased 100.42 points to 12,905.47, the FBMT 100 Index fell 68.20 points to 11,188.20, the FBM 70 slid 122.12 points to 15,159.49, and the FBM ACE lost 225.56 points to 8,244.38.
Sector-wise, the Industrial Products and Services Index decreased 0.84 of-a-point to 197.45, the Plantation Index rose 8.32 points to 6,925.17, and the Financial Services Index fell 42.21 points to 14,713.95. — Bernama
