KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI pared gains headed into the lunch break as global markets continued to recover from the brutal sell-off triggered by the onset of US trade tariffs.
At 12.30pm, the benchmark index gained 1.87 points to 1,482.73, as the recovery rally lost steam in anticipation of more developments to come in the ongoing conflict between the US and its trading partners.
The broader market took a negative turn with a 1.26-to-1 ratio of declining issuers to advancers. Volume was 2.27 billion shares transacted for a total of RM1.01bil.
The investor sentiment in Asia was boosted by indications from US President Donald Trump that there might be tariff exemptions in the auto sector, which sent Japanese stocks higher.
The Nikkei rose 1.2% to 34,391 while South Korea's Kospi was lifted 1% to 2,480.
Singapore's Straits Times gained 1.82% to 3,613.
In China, the Shanghai composite index was slightly lower at 3,260 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.2% to 21,457.
On Bursa Malaysia, positive blue chips included Hong Leong Bank rose 24 sen to RM19.60, Nestle gained 84 sen to RM79.34 and YTL Power climbed seven sen to RM3.19.
Of market actives, Velocity was flat at eight sen , Reach slipped one sen to 0.5 sen and MSB dropped 2.5 sne to 17.5 sen.
