KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session lower, slipping 0.5 per cent as investors locked in profits after a three-day rally.
At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 8.22 points to 1,582.53 from Wednesday’s close of 1,590.75.
The benchmark index opened lower at 1,582.83 and fluctuated between 1,580.16 and 1,583.82.
Market breadth was negative, with losers leading gainers 429 to 377, while 482 counters were unchanged, 1,334 untraded and 11 suspended.
Turnover was 1.45 billion shares worth RM1.15 billion.
Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd said in a research note that selective buying momentum was expected to persist locally, despite mixed performances in the United States overnight.
"The technology sector could be boosted by strong gains from tech giants,” it added.
Among heavyweights, Maybank rose eight sen to RM9.75, Public Bank gained four sen to RM4.23, Petronas Dagangan fell 60 sen to RM21.40, PressMetal lost seven sen to RM5.55, while CelcomDigi was unchanged at RM3.66.
In active trade, VS Industry advanced 2.5 sen to 56.5 sen, Tanco added 1.5 sen to 81.5 sen, 99 SpeedMart was flat at RM2.49, and Capitaland slipped half a sen to 62 sen.
Among decliners, Nestle fell 32 sen to RM95.18, KLK and LPI Capital lost 12 sen each to RM20.08 and RM14.34, while PIE Industrial eased nine sen to RM2.83.
On the broader index board, the FBM Emas Index dropped 28.8 points to 11,757.65, the FBMT 100 Index shed 33.89 points to 11,517.57, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index added 10.49 points to 11,780.41. The FBM 70 Index gained 66.02 points to 16,489.35, while the FBM ACE Index rose 12.16 points to 4,740.26.
By sector, the Industrial Products and Services Index edged down 0.32 to 163.76, the Plantation Index slipped 4.76 points to 7,677.37, and the Financial Services Index lost 155.23 points to 17,936.92. The Energy Index advanced 1.68 points to 741.74. - Bernama
