KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia ended lower for a second straight session on Friday, mirroring the mixed performance across regional markets as oil prices edged higher.
The FBM KLCI fell 1.4 points, or 0.08%, to 1,735.75, trading within a 9.8-point range between its intraday high of 1,739.14 and low of 1,729.34.
Despite losses over the past two sessions, the benchmark index still gained 0.63% for the week.
Decliners outpaced gainers 533 to 581, while 607 counters were unchanged. About 3.56 billion shares, valued at RM3.47bil, changed hands.
"The market is taking a breather after a strong run earlier in the week. Investors are likely to stay cautious ahead of key economic data releases next week while monitoring developments in global oil markets," a dealer said.
Malaysian Pacific Industries
led the decliners, falling 40 sen to RM47.26, followed by PETRONAS Dagangan, which shed 32 sen to RM19.24, United Plantations, down 32 sen to RM33.88, and Pentamaster, which lost 24 sen to RM5.47.
On the upside, Kuala Lumpur Kepong was the top gainer, surging RM1.30 to RM22.90, followed by Stratus Global, up 58 sen to RM2.88, Tong Herr, which added 49 sen to RM2.39, and Allianz, which gained 44 sen to RM21.52.
In terms of fund flows, foreign investors remained net sellers on Thursday, disposing of RM175mil worth of equities.
Local institutions and retailers were net buyers, with net purchases totalling RM151mil and RM25mil, respectively.
Meanwhile, oil prices edged higher on Friday amid renewed concerns over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude added 50 cents to US$82.99 a barrel while US crude oil was up 42 cents to US$77.71 per barrel.
Around the region, markets closed mixed, while the MSCI Asia ex-Japan Index edged up 0.05%.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed down 0.12% to 65,606.71;
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 0.54% to 25,668.03;
China’s CSI300 Index added 0.93% to 4,694.44;
Taiwan’s Taiex slid 0.38% to 44,225.91;
South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.6% to 6,258.77 and;
Singapore’s Straits Times Index rose 0.94% to 5,692.10 points.
