KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian equities trailed behind the key Asian markets at midday on Monday with Petronas Chemicals the main drag on the FBM KLCI while the trading value of total stocks declined, reflecting the poorer buying quality.
However, a rebound in crude oil prices could provide some support to the oil and gas stocks after Saudi Arabia and Russia have agreed to extend crude oil output cuts until March 2018 in their latest effort to rebalance the global crude market.
The FBM KLCI fell 2.2 points or 0.12% to 1,773.67. Turnover was 2.05 billion shares valued at RM1.12bil. There were 364 gainers, 444 losers and 377 counters unchanged.
The ringgit rose against the US dollar but slipped against the other key currencies. It rose 0.26% to 4.3345 from the previous close of 4.3457 but weakened against the pound sterling to 5.5921 from 5.5807; slipped against the Singapore dollar to 3.0891 from 3.0867 and was lower against the euro at 4.7368 from 4.7199.
US light crude oil jumped 77 cents to US$48.61 and Brent gained 78 cents to US$51.62.
Refiner Hengyuan gained 38 sen to RM4.79 with 1.39 million shares done while Petron was flat at RM8.62. Petronas Dagangan added six sen to RM24.06.
Petronas Chemicals fell 11 sen to RM7.12 and erased 1.44 points from the KLCI while Petronas Gas shed two sen to RM18.58.
Among the banks, AmBank fell eight sen to RM5.44, RHB Bank six sen to RM5.48, CIMB she done sen to RM5.94 while Public Bank and Maybank were flat at RM19.98 and RM9.38.
Crude palm oil for third-month delivery rose RM18 to 2,669 per tonne. IOI Corp lost three se to RM4.61, KL Kepong and Sime were flat at RM24.92 and RM9.33 while PPB Group rose four sen to RM17.10.
F&N was the top performer, up 44 sen to RM25.12 and Ajinomoto gained 14 sen to RM19.86 but BAT fell 56 sen to RM45.64 and Dutch Lady
lost 26 sen to RM58.
Poultry company CAB Cakaran lost 17 sen to RM2.77 and the warrants were down 15 sen to RM2.17. However, CCK Consolidated added 10 sen to 84.5 sen after CIMB Equities initiate3d coverage of the company.
As for semicon makers, Globetronics gained 14 sen to RM5.90.
Among the key regional markets,
Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.09% to 19,866.04;
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 0.58% to 25,301.50;
CSI 300 gained 0.48% to 3,401.53;
Shanghai’s Composite Index 0.28% to 3,092.28;
Hang Seng China Enterprise jumped 1.23% to 10,409.63;
Taiwan’s Taiex added 0.16% to 10,002.64;
South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.14% to 2,289.15; and
Singapore’s Straits Times Index advanced 0.36% to 3,267.02.
Spot gold rose US$1.98 to US$1,203.41.
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