FBM KLCI ends flat on lack of fresh catalysts

KUALA LUMPUR: The local bourse ended the day on a flat note as investors remained on the sidelines amid lack of market-moving catalysts locally.

The FBM KLCI added a negligible 0.13-of-a point at 1,608.38. It opened 0.81 of-a-point weaker at 1,607.44 this morning. The index was down 0.24% on week.

On the broader market, gainers outnumbered losers by 516 to 501 while 484 counters unchanged. Trading volume stood at 6.56 billion units worth RM4.38bil.

Dealers said buying interest today’s was interspersed with profit-taking.

They expect trading on Bursa Malaysia to continue to be cautious.

Top gainers on Bursa Malaysia included Heineken which jumped 50 sen to RM25.30, Rapid which added 41 sen to RM8.33 and Transocean which rose 35 sen to RM1.53.

F&N, the top loser on Bursa Malaysia, tumbled 80 sen to RM30. KLK declined 24 sen to RM22.16 and Malayan Cement lost 23 sen to RM2.92.

Among the banks, Maybank fell two sen to RM8.28, Public Bank fell three sen to RM4.20, CIMB declined one sen to RM4.29 and Hong Leong Bank added eight sen to RM18.02.

Supermax rose 21 sen to RM5.31, Top Glove gained 13 sen to RM5.57 and Hartalega added 12 sen to RM10.12.

Around the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index was firmer by 0.47%.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 ended up 0.14% at 29,683.37, while South Korea’s Kospi ended 4.29 points, or 0.13% higher at 3,198.62.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index closed up 176.57 points or 0.61% at 28,969.71.

China’s blue-chip CSI300 index ended up 0.4% at 4,966.18, while the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.8%to 3,426.62.

China’s gross domestic product (GDP) jumped a record 18.3% in the first quarter from a year earlier, official data showed on Friday, slower than the 19% forecast by economists in a Reuters poll, and following 6.5% growth in the fourth quarter last year.