KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI ended lower on Wednesday bucking the regional trend as fresh catalysts were elusive.
At 5pm, the market barometer closed down 4.44 points, or 0.3% to 1,469.55 with 16 of the KLCI-component stocks ending lower.
Winners and losers were closely balanced, with 424 gainers against 454 losers and 403 that were flat. Traded volumes stood at 3.13 billion shares worth RM1.66bil.
Among the 30 FBM KLCI constituents, Kuala Lumpur Kepong lost 50 sen to RM21.60, Hong Leong Financial Group fell 18 sen to RM18.18, PETRONAS Chemicals eased 15 sen to RM8.45 and Sime Darby Plantation
closed down 15 sen at RM4.35.
Genting rose 10 sen to RM4.58, Tenaga gained seven sen to RM9.37 and PPB added six sen to RM17.22.
On the broader market, Hextar Technologies jumped 46 sen to RM20.30, Malaysian Pacific Industries rose 42 sen to RM29.20 and Ajinomoto gained 28 sen to RM13.72.
Genting Plantations lost 21 sen to RM6.10, Dutch Lady fell 18 sen to RM30 and Kotra eased 10 sen to RM6.32.
Meanwhile, US West Texas Intermediate crude fell US$1.58 to US$75.35 and Brent lost US$1.73 to US$80.37 per barrel.
Asian bourses closed broadly higher today, with Japan's Nikkei 225 closing down 1.45%, South Korea’s Kospi advancing 1.68%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumping 3.22%, China’s Shanghai Composite adding 0.22% and Singapore’s Straits Times Index ended flat.
