KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 — Bursa Malaysia closed lower today on profit-taking across the board, amid a mixed performance in regional peers as investors await the release of US inflation data later today.
At 5pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) was 7.48 points or 0.46 per cent easier at 1,597.13, its intraday low, compared with yesterday’s close of 1,604.61.
The barometer index opened 0.74 of-a-point easier at 1,603.87 and hit a high of 1,603.98 in the morning session.
On the broader market, losers beat gainers 578 to 340, while 444 counters were unchanged, 891 untraded, and 12 others suspended.
Total turnover decreased to 3.90 billion units worth RM2.44 billion from 4.40 billion units worth RM2.37 billion yesterday.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said, regionally, key indices closed mixed as investors continued to monitor high inflation and tighter monetary policy expected in the US and the Covid-19 lockdowns in China.
He said China will release its trade data tomorrow, with the US releasing retail sales and University of Michigan consumer sentiment data a day later.
Back home, the FBM KLCI moved in a tight consolidation mode since the middle of last month as investors remain cautious as a result of heightened regional volatility.
“We foresee the benchmark index to remain in range-bound mode for the time being due to cautious sentiment although foreign buying and bargain-hunting may emerge as well,” he told Bernama.
Thong expects the FBM KLCI to hover within the 1,590-1,610 range for the remainder of the week with immediate resistance at 1,620 ande support at 1,580.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 1.81 per cent to 26,334.98, South Korea’s Kospi inched down 0.98 per cent to 2,666.76 and Singapore’s Straits Times Index shed 0.99 per cent to 3,330.25, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 0.52 per cent to 21,319.13.
On the home front, heavyweights Maybank fell three sen to RM8.82, IHH Healthcare dropped four sen to RM6.36, Petronas Chemicals rose six sen to RM10.26, while Public Bank and CIMB were flat at RM4.67 and RM5.33, respectively.
Of the actives, Vizione rose 2.5 sen to 10.5 sen, Tanco added 16 sen to 55.5 sen, Vortex gained three sen to 19.5 sen, ATA IMS perked up 9.5 sen to 53 sen, while CSH Alliance was flat at 14 sen.
On the index board, the FBMT 100 Index decreased 47.02 points to 11,096.53, FBM Emas Index was 44.28 points weaker at 11,443.67, FBM Emas Shariah Index fell 58.47 points to 12,056.70, FBM 70 slipped 38.18 points to 13,738.30, while the FBM ACE expanded 10.62 points to 5,805.11.
Sector-wise, the Industrial Products and Services Index eased 1.06 points to 213.02 and the Financial Services Index slipped 36.89 points to 16,718.97, while the Plantation Index gained 0.38 of-a-point to 8,475.34.
The Main Market volume rose to 2.85 billion shares worth RM2.21 billion compared with 2.65 billion shares worth RM2.08 yesterday.
Warrants turnover fell to 362.51 million units valued at RM64.22 million against 497.35 million units valued at RM78.55 million yesterday.
The ACE Market volume dwindled to 686.56 million shares worth RM167.53 million versus 1.24 billion shares worth RM209.86 million previously.
Consumer products and services counters accounted for 334.02 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (845.97 million), construction (541.46 million), technology (175.64 million), SPAC (nil), financial services (67.99 million), property (289.42 million), plantation (92.19 million), REITs (4.15 million), closed/fund (21,500), energy (341.28 million), healthcare (71.91 million), telecommunications and media (20.91 million), transportation and logistics (23.60 million), and utilities (47.95 million). — Bernama
