KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI closed at its intraday low, dragged down by YTL-related counters, as cautious investors stayed on the sidelines, in line with regional peers.
The benchmark index slid 14.76 points, or 0.94% to 1,558.97, its intraday low after hitting an intraday high of 1,573.31.
All indices on Bursa Malaysia ended lower, except for the Bursa Malaysia Financial Services Index.
There were 235 gainers, 782 losers and 415 counters traded unchanged on the Bursa Malaysia. About 2.75 billion shares, valued at RM2.37bil, changed hands.
Dealers said investors remained cautious amid renewed concerns over US President Donald Trump's tariff plans, coupled with anticipation surrounding the Federal Reserve's upcoming policy decision.
The KLCI-segment stocks saw a predominance of losses, with 18 decliners and 9 advancers.
Among the component stocks, YTL Power slid 39 sen to RM3.22, single-handedly taking 4.5535 points off the FBM KLCI. YTL Corp fell 19 sen to RM1.93, dragging the index down by 2.9781 points.
Both YTL Corp and YTL Power were among the most actively traded stocks during the session.
PETRONAS Dagangan lost 40 sen to RM19.50, Tenaga Nasional gave up 32 sen to RM13.44 and Sunway declined 30 sen to RM4.25.
On the broader market, Malaysian Pacific Industries
slid 44 sen to RM22.76, Nationgate lost 30 sen to RM1.88 and Dutch Lady fell 30 sen to RM30.72.
Among the gainers, Bursa Malaysia rose 18 sen to RM8.47, Ge-Shen Corp added 17 sen to RM4.13 and LPI Capital gained 12 sen to RM12.82.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that crude oil prices slumped after Trump on Friday reiterated his call for OPEC to cut oil prices.
Brent crude futures dropped 0.8% to US$77.85 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude lost 0.9% to US$74.00 a barrel.
Elsewhere in the region, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.92%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index closed up 0.66%, China’s CSI 300 Index dropped 0.41%, and Singapore's Straits Times Index eased 0.1%.
Markets in South Korea and Taiwan were already closed on Monday, while markets in China are shut from Tuesday and will not reopen until February 5.
