For the month, the FBM KLCI is down 3.18% and year-to-date, it is down 8.02%.
KUALA LUMPUR: Key Asian markets and Bursa Malaysia ended Thursday on a weak note on rising concerns of a shrinking Fed balance sheet with CIMB, Axiata and Genting Bhd
weighing on the FBM KLCI.
At 5pm, the KLCI was down 5.11 points or 0.29% to 1,739.560. Theere were 3.86 billion shares valued at RM3bil. There were 452 gainers, 526 losers and 338 stocks unchanged.
Bloomberg reported central banks were the dominant theme for markets on Thursday, with European stocks tracking declines in Asia and the US on the prospect of a shrinking Fed balance sheet and the euro briefly reversing after Mario Draghi reaffirmed ECB monetary policy.
The ringgit fell against the US dollar to 4.4365 from 4.4307 and weakened against the pound sterling to 5.5288 from 5.5225. The ringgit rose against the Singapore dollar to 3.1627 from 3.1643 and firmed up against the Euro to 4.7280 from 4.7284.
CIMB fell seven sen to RM5.49 and erased 1.05 points from the KLCI while Maybank and AmBank shed one sen each to RM8.94 and RM4.84 and RHB Bank unchanged at RM5.23.
LMC International Ltd Chairman Dr James Fry said crude palm oil (CPO) prices are likely to fall to about RM2,250 per tonne by year-end just as production has begun to recover after the El Nino. CPO for third month fell RM6 to RM2,708 per tonne.
PPB Group fell six sen to RM16.62, IOI Corp lost four sen to RM4.61, while Sime was flat at RM9.32 while KL Kepong rose six sen to RM24.68.
Among the consumer stocks, Carlsberg lost 18 sen to RM14.98, Heineken 16 sen to RM18.16 while Dutch Lady lost 12 sen to RM56.74. Nestle added 38 sen to RM79.80.
Poultry company CAB Cakaran and its warrants lost 15 sen each to RM2.32 and RM1.80 after the recent rally.
Genting Bhd slumped 13 sen to RM9.33 and erased 0.82 point from the KLCI. Genting Malaysia shed one sen to RM5.49. Tenaga was flat at RM13.76. Tong Herr lost 20 sen to RM3.21.
Johan Holdings rose four sen to 23.5 sen while George Kent added three sen to RM4.40 on strong continued interest.
Chip maker MPI rose 28 sen to RM11.86 and KESM gained 20 sen to RM12.70.
Yong Tai-PA jumped 30 sen to RM1.35 and the shares added seven sen to RM1.55 after a positive report from analysts.
JHM Consolidated, which was queried over the unusual market activity, rose two sen to RM4.18.
Among the key regional markets,
Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.4% to 18,597.06;
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.52% to 24,273.72;
CSI 300 rose 0.29% to 3,514.05;
Shanghai’s Composite Index rose 0.33% to 3,281;
Hang Seng China Enterprise fell 0.86% to 10,276.41;
Taiwan’s Taiex lost 0.52% to 9,897.80;
South Korea’s Kospi was down 0.37% to 2,152.75 and
Singapore’s Straits Times Index edged lower by 0.03% to 3,175.59.
Spot gold lost US$2.39 to US$1,253.37.
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