KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI ended the second quarter up just 1.35% on Friday after selling pressure on key stocks including Asia's largest hospital operator IHH Healthcare and CIMB, reflecting the cautious key Asian markets.
At 5pm, the KLCI was down 7.69 points or 0.43% to 1,763.67. Year-to-date, it was up 7.43%. Turnover was 1.51 billion shares valued at RM2.31bil. There were 324 gainers, 477 losers and 448 counters unchanged.
The ringgit eked out a 0.01% gain to the US dollar at 4.2930, rose 0.06% to the pound sterling to 5.5785 and gained 0.22% to the euro at 4.8966. However, it fell 0.12% to the Singapore dollar at 3.1188.
On the external front, Hong Kong shares closed down on Friday, tracking weak overseas markets, but recorded their sixth straight monthly gain on expectations of supportive measures from Beijing at the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to China on July 1, Reuters reported.
With sentiment hurt by an overnight sell-off in the US and European markets, the Hang Seng index fell 0.8% to 25,764.58, while the China Enterprises Index lost 0.6% to 10,365.22.
At Bursa Malaysia, IHH fell 18 sen to RM5.75 and erased 2.52 points from the KLCI. Genting Malaysia and Genting Bhd were down eight sen each to RM5.50 and RM9.41.
MAHB was down 14 sen to RM8.56, Astro lost six sen to RM2.53 and Tenaga was flat at RM14.14.
Crude palm oil for third month delivery rose RM2 to RM2,471 per tonne. PPB Group rose 22 sen to RM17.16 and added 0.44 of a point, KL Kepong rose two sen to RM24.88, IOI Corp fell five sen to RM4.45 and Sime Darby shed seven sen to RM9.50.
As for banks, CIMB fell six sen to RM6.58, Hong Leong Bank lost four sen to RM15.66, RHB Bank two sen lower at RM5.06, AmBank one sen to RM4.88 while Maybank was flat at RM9.63 but Public Bank was up two sen to RM20.32.
Crude oil futures on Friday were on track for their biggest weekly gain since mid-May, ending five weeks of losses with prices underpinned by a decline in US output, Reuters reported. US light crude oil rose 38 cents to US$45.31 and Brent gained 35 cents to US$47.77.
Petronas Gas fell 16 sen to RM18.54, Petronas Daganagan was down four sen to RM24.10 and Petronas Chemicals two sen lower at RM7.10.
Consumer stocks were mostly higher, Nestle jumped RM1.52 to RM85, MSM 32 sen to RM4.50 and Dutch Lady 22 sen to RM58.38 but Ajinomoto was down 20 sen to RM24.34.
Among the telcos, Telekom rose four sen to RM6.65, Digi shed one sen to RM5, Axiata lost five sen to RM4.83 and Maxis six sen lower at RM5.55.
Hiap Teck Ventures rose two sen to 38.5 sen and the warrants gained three sen to 19.5 sen in active trade.
Kumpulan Jetson fell seven sen to 41.5 sen with 20.8 million shares done. The company was picked to undertake a RM919mil construction contract along Jalan Conlay in Kuala Lumpur.
Hai-O rose 19 sen to RM4.09 on stronger earnings.
Among the key regional markets,
Japan’s Nikkei 225fell 0.92% to 20,033.43;
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.77% to 25,764.58;
CSI 300 shed 0.06% to 3,666.80;
Shanghai’s Composite Index rose 0.14% to 3,192.43;
Hang Seng China Enterprise lost 0.64% to 10,365.22;
Taiwan’s Taiex was down 0.26% to 10,395.07;
South Korea’s Kospi shed 0.16% to 2,391.79; and
Singapore’s Straits Times Index lost 0.99% to 3,226.48.
Spot gold fell US$1.84 to US$1,243.67.