Bursa Malaysia ends 0.7 pct lower

KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia ended the day in red hitting an intra-day low, dragged by the gloomy global risk asset market outlook following the heavy sell-off on Wall Street last Friday, coupled with the weaker economic data released by China last week.

A dealer’s expectations of another possible US Federal Reserve interest rate hike by year-end also spooked inventors, prompting them to pull out of emerging markets, including the local bourse.

At 5pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI ( FBM KLCI) was 11.95 points, or 0.7 per cent, weaker at 1,696.14 from last Friday’s close of 1,708.09.

The index opened 4.01 points lower at 1,704.08 and moved between 1,696.14 and 1,706.34 throughout the day.

Market breadth was negative, with losers outpacing gainers 452 to 294, while 360 counters were unchanged, 745 untraded and 20 others suspended.

Volume shrank to 1.63 billion units worth RM1.32 billion from 1.65 billion units valued at RM1.80 billion last Friday.

Among heavyweights, IHH Healthcare suffered the biggest loss, declining 18 sen to RM4.67, while Hong Leong Financial fell 48 sen to RM18.32, Sime Darby trimmed five sen to RM2.40 and Press Metal and Sime Darby Plantation erased nine sen each to RM4.77 and RM5.16 respectively.

Sapura Energy remained the most actively- traded counter, inching up half-a-sen to 38 sen, followed by MRCB, which edged up one sen to 77.5 sen, while Seacera and Panpages bagged half-a-sen each to 26.5 sen and 26 sen respectively and PUC added 1.5 sen to 16 sen.

Of the losers, BAT gave up RM1.48 to RM36.42, Petronas Dagangan shed 30 sen to RM26.70, Amway shrank 29 sen to RM6.71, LPI slipped 28 sen to RM16.32 and UMW was 23 sen lower at RM4.42.

The FBM Emas Index was down 87.22 points at 11,759.03, the FBMT 100 Index reduced 90.38 points to 11,597.75 and the FBM Emas Shariah Index dropped 90.90 points to 11,920.79.

The FBM 70 dipped 140.26 points to 13,705.73 while the FBM Ace Index gained 26.33 points at 4,958.93.

Sector-wise, the Finance Index slumped 128.14 points to 17,070.96, the Plantation Index slipped 44.49 points to 7,318.24 and the Industrial Products and Services Index eased 0.32 point to 172.98.

Main Market volume slipped to 1.08 billion shares worth RM1.20 billion from 1.1 billion shares worth RM1.66 billion last Friday.

Warrants turnover narrowed to 282.53 million units valued at RM65.22 million against 316.76 million units worth RM81.94 million previously.

Volume on the ACE Market, however, was higher at 261.24 million shares worth RM51.75 million, versus 236.51 million shares valued at RM62.22 million previously.

Consumer products and services accounted for 112.41 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services ( 270.23 million), construction ( 45.40 million), technology ( 130.54 million), SPAC (1.74 million), financial services (22.21 million), property (137.44 million), plantations (11.21 million), REITs (4.42 million), closed/ fund ( 11,600), energy (256.04 million), healthcare (33.70 million), telecommunication and media ( 31.15 million), transportation and logistics (13.68 million), and utilities (18.52 million).

For further information on stocks and prices, please visit w w w. bursamalaysia.com.