KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI closed little changed ahead of the long weekend, after Bank Negara kept interest rates steady, amid broadly higher regional markets.
The central bank kept the overnight policy rate (OPR) unchanged at 2.75% as expected, noting that the current level remains supportive of economic growth.
At 5pm, the benchmark index slipped 0.36 point, or 0.03%, to 1,578.15, off an intraday low of 1,575.99. For the week, the index still gained 0.19%.
Losers thumped gainers at 552 to 385 while 527 counters unchanged. Turnover stood at 2.32 billion shares worth RM2.3bil.
Among the decliners, Allianz-PA slid 36 sen to RM18, Nestle slipped 36 sen to RM93.24, PETRONAS Dagangan fell 20 sen to RM21.80, Eurospan lost 16 sen to RM2.86 and RHB Bank
declined 10 sen to RM6.50.
Malaysian Pacific Industries led gainers, rising 38 sen to RM28.18, followed by Ayer up 30 sen to RM7, PPB Group adding 20 sen to RM9.60, and MBM Resources climbing 13 sen to RM5.34.
On the forex market, the ringgit fell 0.11% against the US dollar to 4.2303 and inched down 0.02% against the Singapore dollar to 3.2822.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipped 0.25%, even as most regional markets closed higher. Among the key markets:
Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed up 1.53% to 42,580.27;
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 1.12% to 25,058.51;
China’s CSI300 Index closed down 2.12% to 4,365.21;
Taiwan’s Taiex rose 0.33% to 24,179.85;
South Korea’s Kospi advanced 0.52% to 3,200.83 and;
Singapore’s Straits Times Index rose 0.17% to 4,296.83 points.
