KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI finished lower on Thursday, hovering just above the 1,600 level as investor sentiment remained cautious amidst mixed market conditions.
The 30-stock index fell 10.82 points, or 0.67%, to 1,600.68, dragged down by losses in banking and plantation stocks. The market traded within a range of 17.2 points, between an intra-day high of 1,615.84 and a low of 1,598.64 during the session.
In the broader market, losers outnumbered gainers 586 to 419, with 3.14 billion shares worth RM2.7bil changing hands.
On the 30-stock FBM KLCI, there were 20 decliners to only five advancers.
Leading laggards among the FBM KLCI component stocks were Nestle, falling 40 sen to RM99.80, Press Metal
, skidding 19 sen to RM4.40, and SD Guthrie, shedding 16 sen to RM4.85.
Key winners on the FBM KLCI include Kuala Lumpur Kepong, which rose 12 sen to RM22.40, Celcom Digi gained six sen to RM3.32, IHH added three sen to RM7.20 and QL climbed three sen to RM4.88.
On the broader market, Malaysian Pacific Industries fell 38 sen to RM25.30, Paragon lost 27 sen to RM2.61, while United Plantations jumped 94 sen to RM30.58, and Heineken rose 40 sen to RM23.90.
Meanwhile, data from Bursa Malaysia showed that foreign investors and retailers disposed of RM47mil and RM27mil of local equities, respectively, yesterday. Local institutions acquired RM73mil worth of equities.
Elsewhere in the region, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.48%, South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.07%, China’s Shanghai Composite index was down 1.73% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index closed down 1.96%.
