KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI ended lower after a choppy session, opening in the red before climbing into positive territory by midday, only to succumb to last-minute selling.
The benchmark index slipped 4.12 points, or 0.25%, to 1,672.31, weighed down by last-minute selling. The index traded within an eight-point range, between a low of 1,671.48 and a high of 1,679.47.
On the broader market, declining counters outnumbered advancing ones by a 1.6-to-one ratio, with 677 losers against 436 gainers. Turnover stood at 3.324 billion shares worth RM2.745bil.
Dealers said the late selling reflected cautious sentiment, with weakness in technology and semiconductor stocks weighing on the broader market. They said investors remained wary of elevated oil prices, a softer ringgit and mixed regional markets.
Among the gainers, Nestle surged RM1.96 to RM91.46, Ajinomoto added 38 sen to RM19.64, Pekat gained 24 sen to RM2.64 and Northern Solar advanced 16 sen to RM1.18.
Technology and semiconductor stocks dominated the losers’ list, with Malaysian Pacific Industries
falling RM1.08 to RM43.50, MI Technovation shedding 32 sen to RM5.81, Unisem losing 24 sen to RM4.50 and Pentamaster down 23 sen to RM5.18.
On the forex market, the ringgit declined 0.15% against the US dollar to 4.0863 but edged up 0.03% versus the Singapore dollar to 3.1920.
Meanwhile, Brent crude rose US$2.82, or 2.74%, to US$105.90 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained US$2.24, or 2.43%, to US$94.40 per barrel.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 0.76% to 65,513.99, while South Korea’s KOSPI rose 0.9% to 7,080.92.
Elsewhere, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slipped 0.29% to 24,761.13, Taiwan’s TAIEX fell 0.28% to 48,024.60 and Singapore’s Straits Times Index declined 0.49% to 5,681.85.
In China, the CSI 300 fell 1.73% to 4,439.14, while the Shanghai Composite declined 1.22% to 3,888.37.
