KUALA LUMPUR: All key Asian markets except Taiwan ended Monday morning in the red, including Bursa Malaysia, dragged down by banks and Tenaga Nasional.
At 12.30pm, the KLCI was down 5.34 points or 0.31% to 1,712.62. Turnover was 1.07 billion shares valued at RM569.88mil. Decliners beat advancers two to one with 437 losers to 222 gainers and 349 counters unchanged.
The ringgit weakened against the US dollar, pound sterling and euro but was slightly firmer against the Singapore dollar.
It slipped to 3.9117 against the US dollar from 3.9005 the previous close while it was 5.6437 to the pound from 5.5971 and weaker against the euro at 4.3988 from 4.3968. It was firmer against the Singapore dollar at 2.8889 from 2.8899.
China and Hong Kong stocks fell on Monday morning, as growing concerns over risks in debt and commodities markets on the mainland curbed investor risk appetite.
US light crude oil fell 64 sen to US$43.09 and Brent was down 54 cents to US$44.57.
Crude palm oil for third-month delivery fell RM19 to US$2,671 per tonne.
At Bursa Malaysia, Tenaga fell 10 sen to RM14.40 and erased 0.94 of a point while Genting Bhd
was down seven sen to RM9.36 and MISC four sen to RM8.82.
CIMB fell 10 sen to RM4.81 and erased 1.43 points, Maybank five sen to RM9, Public Bank four sen to RM19.10 while Hong Leong was unchanged at RM13.68. Aeon Credit jumped 26 sen to RM13.26 after its strong earnings and dividends.
Semicon stocks fell, led by Globetronics which lost 65 sen to RM4.64 and MPI gave up nine sen to RM7.23while tech services stock Inari was down 12 sen to RM2.90.
As for oil and gas stocks, Petronas Gas was down six sen to RM21.94, Petronas Chemicals shed one sen to RM6.69 while Petronas Dagangan added two sen to RM23.82. SapuraKencana was flat at RM1.78.
Among the plantations, PPB Group lost four sen to RM16.32, KL Kepong two sen to RM23.90, IOI Corp edged up one sen to RM4.46 and Sime Darby gained two sen to RM7.95.
Consumer stocks were among the top gainers. Dutch Lady added 50 sen to RM54.19 and BAT 48 sen to RM54.98.
Spring Gallery attracted strong trading interest with the shares surging 27 sen to RM1.23, its warrants eight sen to 29.5 sen and loan stocks unchanged at 11.5 sen.
AirAsia fell six sen to RM2.04, AirAsia X was unchanged at 36.5 sen and the warrants edge dip 0.5 seb to 22 sen.
Among the key regional markets,
Japan’s Nikkei 225 fekk 0.6% to 17,466.63;
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index lost 0.57% to 21,344.65;
CSI 300 lost 0.59% to 3,156.01;
Shanghai’s Composite Index fell 0.82% to 2,935.03;
Shenzhen Composite declined 0.92% to 1,850.45;
Hang Seng China Enterprise skidded 1.21% to 9,010.72;
Taiwan’s Taiex rose 0.11% to 8,544.87;
South Korea’s Kospi lost 0.16% to 2,012.34 and
Singapore’s Straits Times Index was down 0.92% to 2,913.41.
Spot gold rose 92 cents to US$1,233.95.
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