FBM KLCI ends the day almost flat

KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI finished marginally lower on Monday in the absence of market-moving factors amid cautious sentiment.

At 5pm, the 30-stock index was down a negligible 0.99 of-a-point to 1,532.36 after moving between 1,535.88 and 1,525.40 throughout the day.

There were 526 gainers, 503 losers and 402 counters traded unchanged on the Bursa Malaysia. Turnover stood at 6.5 billion shares valued at RM3.59bil.

Dealers said there were some focus on second- and lower-liner today. However, the implementation of EMCO over in parts of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur weigh on the local bourse.

In addition, they said investors are waiting for Bank Negara’s overnight policy rate (OPR) decision this week.

On Bursa Malaysia, Chin Tek is the biggest loser, easing 29 sen to RM6.51. Dutch Lady shed 28 sen to RM33.62 and Kuala Lumpur Kepong lost 26 sen to RM20.06.

Significant advancers on the broader market include Genetec, Widetech and Transocean. Genetec surged 94 sen to RM13.96, Widetech added 68 sen to RM3.60 and Transocean rose 48 sen to RM4.30.

Among the banks, Maybank added two sen to RM8.13, Public Bank climbed one sen to RM4.12, CIMB declined three sen to RM4.61, RHB Bank shed four sen to RM5.35 and Hong Leong Bank lost two sen to RM18.80.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Chinese tech firms slumped amid concerns over Beijing's crackdown on ride-hailing giant Didi Global and scrutiny of other platform companies in the country.

Asian benchmarks closed higher today, with Japan's Nikkei 225 losing 0.64%, South Korea’s Kospi advanced 0.35%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng declined 0.59%, China’s Shanghai Composite added 0.44%.