KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 (Bernama) -- Persistent profit-taking in selected heavyweights continued to weigh on Bursa Malaysia at midday, amid mixed regional sentiments.
At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slipped 9.17 points to 1,703.16 from yesterday’s close of 1,712.33.
The benchmark index opened 1.31 points lower at 1,711.02 and moved between 1,699.40 and 1,711.02 during the morning trading session.
Market breadth was negative with losers surpassing gainers 608 to 290, while 517 counters were unchanged, 1,252 untraded and 10 suspended.
Turnover stood at 1.64 billion units valued at RM1.25 billion.
Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd noted that although the KLCI was weaker, healthy foreign fund inflows are expected to support the FBM Small Cap.
“Notably, trading interest is beginning to accumulate in Inta Bina Group Bhd, with trading volume continuing to rise above the 20-day average; the company's sizeable order book and undemanding valuations further strengthen the investment case.
“Meanwhile, MN Holding Bhd’s recent project wins should also bolster the ‘pick-and-shovel’ play, particularly within the data centre value chain,” it said in a note today.
Among the heavyweights, Maybank and Public Bank shed six sen each to RM11.10 and RM4.74, respectively, CIMB Group reduced 11 sen to RM8.26 and Tenaga Nasional decreased four sen to RM13.78, while IHH Healthcare gained one sen to RM8.42.
On the most active list, ACE debutant SBS Nexus lost one sen to 24 sen, IJM decreased 11 sen to RM2.54, SMRT eased half-a-sen to 18 sen and Zetrix AI was unchanged at 80.5 sen, while Capital A rose three sen to 53.5 sen.
Top gainers Time Dotcom increased 15 sen to RM5.70, Infomina added 12 sen to RM1.54, Westports Holdings was nine sen firmer at RM6, K.Seng Seng Cop bagged eight sen to 89 sen and LPI Capital inched up 10 sen to RM15.30.
As for the leading decliners, Hong Leong Financial and Hong Leong Bank slipped 66 sen each to RM23.64 and RM20.92, respectively, United Plantations and Nestle gave up 30 sen each to RM30.90 and RM115.70, respectively, and Fraser & Neave Holdings dropped 20 sen to RM35.80.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index declined 65.44 points to 12,546.10, the FBM Top 100 Index lost 66.72 points to 12,340.12, the FBM Emas Shariah Index reduced 30.19 points to 12,210.50, the FBM Mid 70 Index tumbled 95.73 points to 17,427.03, and the FBM ACE Index retreated 32.64 points to 4,902.43.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index trimmed 271.60 points to 20,543.54, the Energy Index eased 3.60 points to 773.53, the Industrial Products and Services Index edged down 0.84 of a point to 173.94, and the Plantation Index fell 17.09 points to 8,334.34.
-- BERNAMA
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