KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia trailed the key regional markets on Monday with Maxis and Genting Malaysia dragging the FBM KLCI into the red but the overall mood was lacklustre in the absence of strong fresh leads.
At 5pm, the KLCI was down 3.12 points or 0.18% to 1,715.28. Turnover was 1.5 billion shares valued at RM1.48bil. There were 293 gainers, 482 losers and 380 counters unchanged.
The ringgit was firmer against the US dollar, Singapore dollar and the euro but it slipped against the pound.
It was at 3.8888 to the greenback – the strongest since early August – from 3.9015 at the previous close. It slipped against the pound to 5.5210 from 5.5038 but strengthened to 2.8899 to the Singapore dollar from 2.8910 and was at 4.4304 to the euro from 4.4426.
Hong Kong stocks edged up on Monday, aided by a bullish mainland market after China's March inflation came in lower than forecast and fanned optimism Beijing will keep monetary policy loose.
Oil prices slipped on Monday over worries that the result of next Sunday's meeting of producers in Qatar aimed at freezing current output levels would fail to improve the current supply-demand balance, Reuters reported.
US light crude oil fell 27 cents to US$39.45 and Brent was down 25 cents to US$41.69.
At Bursa Malaysia, Maxis fell 10 sen to RM6.03 and erased 1.28 points from the KLCI – extending its decline from last Friday. Digi rose eight sen to RM4.85, Telekom unchanged at RM6.71 while Axiata shed five sen to RM5.81.
Among the finance and bank stocks, HLFG lost 32 sen to RM15.02, Public Bank six sen to RM19.14, RHB Cap four sen lower at RM5.94, Maybank one sen to RM9.12 but CIMB eked out a one sen gain to RM4.83, Hong Leong Bank gained two sen to RM13.52 and AmBank tjree sen to RM4.43.
Genting Malaysia fell 14 sen to RM4.49, Genting Bhd
added four sen to RM9.21, Tenaga was unchanged at RM14.38. UMW lost 23 sen to RM6.65.
Crude palm oil for third-month delivery fell RM9 to RM2,671 per tonne. Batu Kawan fell 20 sen to RM17.90, BLD Plantations 15 sen to RM8.50, PPB Group two sen lower at RM16.42, IOI Corp and KL Kepong flat at RM4.51 and RM24.02 while Sime advanced five sen to RM7.90.
As for oil and gas stocks, Petronas Gas lost six sen to RM21.84, Petronas Daganagan two sen to RM23.84 and Petronas Chemicals one sen to RM6.69 while SK Petro was flat at bRM1.82.
Construction company Ekovest gained 13 sen to RM1.33 while its warrants, were up 9.5 sen to 51 sen.
Among the key regional markets,
Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.44% to 15,751.13;
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 0.35% to 20,440.81;
Shanghai’s Composite Index rose 1.64% to 3,033.96;
Taiwan’s Taiex rose 0.25% to 8,562.59;
South Korea’s Kospi shed 0.09% to 1,970.37 and
Singapore’s Straits Times Index rose 0.03% to 2,809.24
Spot gold rose US$6.79 to US$1,247.47.
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