KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia's benchmark index ended morning trade little changed amid a quiet trading session as some global markets remained closed for the Easter holiday.
At 12.30pm, the FBM KLCI was down 0.21 points to 1,426.83. There were 382 decliners compared with 304 gainers.
Trading volume was 1.71 billion shares valued at RM704.62mil.
Bank stocks were mostly unchanged in the absence of more clarity over the future direction of the global economy with Maybank, Public Bank and Hong Leong Bank staying flat after the first half of trading.
RHB rose four sen to RM5.71.
PETRONAS Chemicals however weighed on the blue chips after losing 10 sne to RM7.40, while PETRONAS Gas dipped four sen to RM16.60.
Press Metal
rose five sen to RM5 and Sime Darby Plantation climbed five sne to RM4.29.
Bursa Malaysia's technology index however was seen rebounding after recording three straight days of decline last week.
The sector rose 0.2% to 62.33 with notable gainers including MPI rising 66 sen to RM29 and KESM climbing 12 sen to RM7.70.
In regional markets, Japan's Nikkei was up 0.5% to 27,645, South Korea's Kospi rose 1.1% to 2,517 while China's composite index dipped 0.2% to 3,322.
Hong Kong's stock exchange will only reopen for trading tomorrow after celebrating a four-day weekend in view of Good Friday and Easter.
