KUALA LUMPUR: All key Asian markets fell at the midday break on Thursday, while at Bursa Malaysia profit taking on Genting Malaysia and Genting Bhd
dragged the FBM KLCI slightly into the red, snapping several days of gains.
At 12.30pm, the FBM KLCI was down 1.31 points to 1,767.62. Turnover was 2.12 billion shares valued at RM1.17bil. There were 344 gainers, 421 losers and 396 stocks unchanged.
Asian stocks were mostly lower after a five-day rally as the Bank of Japan cut its inflation forecast while keeping stimulus unchanged, and investors assessed a plan to overhaul US taxes, Bloomberg reported.
Japanese stocks headed for their first decline in six days and the yen remained lower. Shanghai stocks resumed declines as regulatory concerns grew.
The ringgit rose against the US$ to 4.3450 from 4.3475; and advanced against the Singapore dollar to 3.1148 from 3.1195 and climbed against the euro 4.7390 from 4.7415. However, it slipped against the pound sterling to 5.5920 from 5.5734.
Genting Malaysia and Genting Bhd fell 14 sen each to RM5.88 and RM9.82. GentingM's losses erased 1.37 points from the KLCI while Genting Bhd wiped out 0.86 of a point.
US light crude oil fell 25 cents to US$49.37 and Brent shed 20 cents to US$51.62. Petronas Chemicals and Petronas Dagangan lost two sen each to RM7.38 and RM24.04 but Petronas Gas edged up two sen to RM18.42.
Yinson added 11 sen to RM3.28 after it and its partner PTSC, secured a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) charter contract. It was for 10 years plus five years.
As for consumer stocks, BAT lost 92 sen to RM45.08, Nestle lost 20 sen to RM82.86 and Dutch Lady 18 sen to RM57.06. However, Heineken added 12 sen to RM17.52.
Among the banks, Public Bank and RHB Bank were flat at RM19.96 and RM5.36. AmBank and Maybank rose one sen each to RM5.46 and RM9.49, CIMB and Hong Leong Bank two sen higher at RM5.77 and RM13.80.
However, IHH Healthcare heled shore up the KLCI, adding 1.49 points when it rose 11 sen to RM6.25. Tenaga added four sen to RM13.88.
Scientex fell 26 sen to RM8.69, Perak Corp 15 sen lower at RM1.98 and HCK Capital 14 sen to RM5.11.
Vitrox was the top gainer, up 28 sen to RM5.57, MFCB added 19 sen to RM3.67, Ancom gained 14.5 sen to 76 sen.
Crude palm oil for third-month delivery rose RM28 to RM2,542 per tonne. Sime Darby and KL Kepong were flat at RM9.33 and RM24.52, IOI Corp shed one sen to RM4.59, PPB Group four sen lower at RM17.12,
Among the key regional markets,
Japan’s Nikkei 225fell 0.18% to 19,2555.31;
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index shed 0.01% to 24,575.01;
CSI 300 lost 0.55% to 3,426.79;
Shanghai’s Composite Index was down 0.4% to 3,128.42;
Hang Seng China Enterprise lost 0.62% to 10,253.23;
Taiwan’s Taiex fell 0.19% to 9,837.69;
South Korea’s Kospi shed 0.12% to 2,205.17 and
Singapore’s Straits Times Index eased 0.09% to 3,170.86.
Spot gold lost US$2.25 to US$1,266.97.
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