FBM KLCI slips 9.8 points, ringgit weakens at midday

KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI extended its morning losses to close at 1,627.36 points at noon trading break, dragged down by heavyweights.

At midday, the benchmark FBM KLCI fell 9.83 points, or 0.6% to 1,627.36, from Friday’s close of 1,637.19. It opened 4.51 points weaker at 1,632.68.

Losers led gainers 211 to 450, while 324 counters were unchanged. Turnover stood at 802.1 million shares worth RM541.72mil.

The ringgit weakened against the US dollar and Singapore dollar at midday. It fell to 4.1110 to the greenback and it was 2.9724 against the Singapore dollar.

At Bursa Malaysia, among the KLCI stocks, P.I.E. Industrial fell the most, down RM1.28 to RM11.86 with 343,900 shares done.

Dutch Lady fell RM1.20 to RM54.80, British American Tobacco was down 52 sen to RM50.42, PPB down 26 sen to RM16.48, and Asia File was down 23 sen to RM4.12.

Banking stocks CIMB Group fell 6 sen to RM4.31, Maybank down 4 sen to RM8.23 while Public Bank eased 2 sen to RM19.12.

The gainers included Nestle up 48 sen to RM76, Ajiya added 15 sen to RM3.75, IJM Plantations rose 14 sen to RM3.49 while MKH up 12 sen to RM2.52.

Spot gold fell 0.76% to US$1,203.10 per troy ounce.

Among the key regional markets:

Japan’s Nikkei 225 is up 1.16% to 17,030.72;
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index is up 0.7% to 20,719.78;
Shanghai Composite Index up 0.18% to 2,826.19;
Taiwan’s Taiex rose 0.43% to 8,500.42;
South Korea’s Kospi down 0.14% to 1,966.39 and;
Singapore’s Straits Times Index is up 0.3% to 2,803.42 points.