KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI pared earlier losses but still ended in the red on Tuesday, snapping a four-day winning streak, as mild profit-taking emerged following recent gains.
The 30-stock index fell 3.97 points, or 0.23%, to close at 1,754.01, trading within a 9.09-point range between its intraday high of 1,756.00 and low of 1,746.91.
In the broader market, decliners outpaced advancers, with 672 stocks closing lower against 438 gainers, translating to a market breadth of 0.65 and signalling that selling pressure dominated.
Among the decliners, Nestle slid RM1.40 to RM111, United Plantations lost 70 sen to RM29.62, Kuala Lumpur Kepong eased 40 sen to RM19.60 and Hong Leong Financial Group declined 28 sen to RM21.82.
In contrast, F&N jumped 70 sen to RM33.70, PETRONAS Dagangan added 42 sen to RM21.40, Sunway Construction gained 28 sen to RM6.59 and Vstecs climbed 23 sen to RM4.50.
Meanwhile, stock market data showed foreign funds and local institutions were net sellers at RM12mil and RM8mil respectively on Monday. Local retailers were net buyers at RM19mil.
On the forex market, the ringgit stood at 3.8975 against the US dollar, down 0.21%.
The local currency also slipped 0.05% to 3.0755 against the Singapore dollar.
On the external front, MSCI’s Asia ex-Japan stock index rose 0.4%, with most regional bourses closing higher.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.87% to 57,321.09, while South Korea’s Kospi surged 2.11% to a record 5,969.64.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 1.71% to 26,619.10.
In China, the blue-chip CSI300 Index added 1.01% to 4,707.54 and the Shanghai Composite Index advanced 0.87% to 4,117.41.
