KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — Bursa Malaysia stayed lower at mid-morning today, tracking softer regional markets, amid continued selling activities on selected heavyweights.

At 11 am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slipped 5.53 points to 1,734.01, compared with Friday’s close of 1,739.54.

The benchmark index had opened 1.12 points higher at 1,740.66.

The broader market was negative with losers thumping gainers 411 to 275, while 470 counters were unchanged. A total of 1,581 counters remained untraded, and 11 were suspended.

Market turnover stood at 778.31 million shares worth RM572.03 million.

Across the region, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index inched up by 0.20 per cent to 26,620.15, while Singapore’s Straits Times Index fell 0.03 per cent to 4,936.53. Japan’s Nikkei 225 edged down 0.27 per cent to 56,790.70, while South Korea’s Kospi was 0.28 per cent lower at 5,507.01.

Among heavyweights, both Maybank and CIMB slid by eight sen to RM11.98 and RM8.38, respectively, Public Bank was flat at RM5.04 and IHH Healthcare dropped four sen to RM8.79, while Tenaga Nasional rose eight sen to RM14.04

On the most active list, Hong Seng remained unchanged at half a sen and 99 Speed Mart lost 23 sen to RM3.72, while Tanco gained four sen to RM1.45, Zetrix AI inched up 1.5 sen to 81.5 sen, and Bina Puri inched up half a sen to 29.5 sen.

Of the top gainers, Malaysian Pacific Industries climbed 26 sen to RM30.04, MNRB added 22 sen to RM2.62, Chin Teck Plantations advanced 16 sen to RM10.60, Petronas Chemicals garnered nine sen to RM3.41 and Bursa Malaysia bagged eight sen to RM8.98.

Besides 99 Speed Mart, top losers were Nestle, which dropped RM1 to RM108, while United Plantations fell 24 sen to RM29.94, Alliance Bank reduced 14 sen to RM5.15, and SAM Engineering and Equipment slipped 13 sen to RM3.25.

On the index board, the FBM Top 100 Index shed 42.13 points to 12,522.68, the FBM Emas Index lost 39.46 points to 12,698.74, the FBM Mid 70 Index declined 68.94 points to 17,500.73 and the FBM Emas Shariah Index trimmed 12.71 points to 12,209.30, while the FBM ACE Index inched up 0.81 of a point to 4,741.86.

Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index slumped 110.05 points to 21,413.83 and the Plantation Index edged down 37.32 points to 8,339.61, while the Industrial Products and Services Index was a point higher at 176.08 and the Energy Index gained 1.96 points to 753.06. — Bernama