KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia was lower at midday due to profit-taking in selected heavyweights led by Petronas Chemicals, CelcomDigi and Tenaga Nasional, which was in line with the weakness in most regional peers despite news of a resumption of West Asia peace talks.
The three counters dragged the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) by a combined 4.83 points.
At 12.30 pm, the FBM KLCI fell 2.08 points to 1,722.82 from last Friday’s close of 1,724.90.
The benchmark index, which opened 0.36 of a point higher at 1,725.26, fluctuated between 1,719.47 and 1,729.72 during the morning trading session.
The broader market was also negative with losers outpacing gainers 474 to 392, while 520 counters were unchanged, 1,344 untraded and 20 suspended.
Turnover totalled 1.49 billion units worth RM1.08 billion.
Regionally, South Korea’s KOSPI Composite Index slid 4.09 per cent to 6,325.51, Japan’s Nikkei 225 gave up 1.74 per cent to 63,240.51, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index trimmed 0.04 per cent to 25,864.34 and Singapore’s Straits Times Index declined 0.32 per cent to 5,610.27.
Among the heavyweights, Maybank was flat at RM10.90, Public Bank gained one sen to RM5.18, and CIMB Group added two sen to RM7.91, while Tenaga Nasional lost 12 sen to RM14.48 and IHH Healthcare reduced six sen to RM8.29.
As for the most active stocks, Malton was unchanged at 22.5 sen and Wasco edged up half a sen to 71 sen, but Hextar Capital inched down half a sen to 16 sen, CelcomDigi fell seven sen to RM2.91, and OSK Holdings dipped one sen to RM1.97.
Leading gainers included Nestle, which climbed RM1.80 to RM102.90, while Malaysian Pacific Industries rose 98 sen to RM46.98, AmBank advanced 23 sen to RM6.99, UWC surged 15 sen to RM6.50, and Mi Technovation gained 13 sen to RM5.71.
On the top losers list, Fraser & Neave dropped 44 sen to RM27.46, Bintulu Port Holdings erased 16 sen to RM5.34, Petronas Chemicals fell 15 sen to RM4.63, Frontken Corporation declined 11 sen to RM5.10, and Dutch Lady Milk Industries lost 10 sen to RM32.
Among the broader indices, the FBM Emas Index reduced 6.06 points to 12,745.73, the FBM Top 100 Index trimmed 8.86 points to 12,576.25, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index retreated 29.88 points to 12,566.41.
However, the FBM Mid 70 Index climbed 14.22 points to 18,150.01 and the FBM ACE Index surged 14.46 points to 4,989.14.
By sector, the Industrial Products and Services Index shed 1.61 points to 187.13, the Energy Index edged down 0.77 of a point to 764.95, the Financial Services Index improved 47.49 points to 20,375.13, and the Plantation Index gave up 6.62 points to 9,281.95.
-- BERNAMA