KL shares end easier
KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia finished on an easier note on the first trading day of the Year of the Rooster as mild profit-taking emerged among selective heavyweight stocks.
The benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 14.82 points, or 0.88% to end at 1,671.54 from Friday's close of 1,686.36, after opening 0.09 of-a-point better at 1,686.45.
The index moved between 1,686.83 and 1,671.54 against the backdrop of a weak performance by regional peers.
A dealer said most Asian markets retreated Tuesday, with fears growing about the impact of Donald Trump's presidency on the global economy following his controversial immigration policy.
Japan's Nikkei 225 finished 1.7% lower, Singapore's Straits Times sank 0.63%, South Korea's KOSPI Index lost 0.77%, while exchanges in Hong Kong and Shanghai were closed for holidays.
He said most investors were also still absent from the market on an extended Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday.
Bursa Malaysia, which resumed trading today after being closed for the CNY long-weekend holiday, will be closed again tomorrow for the Federal Territory Day holiday.
Another dealer said less transactions were expected this week as trade on Asian share markets were also expected to be thinned by the CNY extended break.
"Many local traders are still on the extended Lunar New Year holiday," he added.
On the broader market, losers led gainers 367 to 354, while 327 stocks were unchanged, 678 untraded and 57 others suspended.
Total volume rose to 1.16 billion shares worth RM1.61 billion from 1.05 billion shares worth RM1.20 billion traded on half-day trading last Friday.
Losers in the composite index component stocks were led by Sime Darby Bhd which announced last week its plan to spin off its plantations and property businesses in separate listings on the local exchange.
Sime Darby's shares edged down 32 sen to RM8.91, contributing -3.70 points to the decline of the key index, while TNB whose earnings were hit by a higher forex loss in the first quarter (ended Nov 30, 2016) also lost 20 sen to RM13.40 (-1.92 effect on the FBM KLCI), Axiata fell 11 sen to RM4.73 (-1.67) and Genting trimming 20 sen to RM8.20 (-1.27).
Heavyweight that led the supports to the key index was Maxis which rose 19 sen to RM6.15 (+2.43 effect on the FBM KLCI).
Among active stocks, AirAsia rose seven sen to RM2.55, SC Estate Builder shed half-a-sen to 3.5 sen, Hibiscus and AirAsia X were both flat at 47 sen and 40.5 sen, respectively, while Berjaya Corp nudged up 1.5 sen to 38 sen.
United Plantation led the list of top gainers in gaining 66 sen to RM27.50, while BAT led top losers, declining RM1.14 to RM46.34.
The FBM Emas Index slid 87.37 points to 11,741.29, the FBMT100 Index dipped 91.71 points to 11,440.67 and the FBM Emas Shariah Index lost 92.99 points for 12,227.59.
The FBM Ace rose 2.01 points to 4,941.78, while the FBM 70 declined 71.35 points to 13,513.45.
Sector-wise, the Finance Index lost 82.96 points to 14,800.82, the Industrial Index fell 51.13 points to 3,202.89, and the Plantation Index shed 33.30 points to 7,919.60.
Main Market turnover expanded to 802.86 million units worth RM1.56 billion from Friday's half-day trading of 782.55 million units worth RM1.17 billion.
The ACE Market increased to 215.99 million shares valued at RM30.79 million from 123.40 million shares valued at RM20.35 million.
Warrants decreased to 133.70 million units worth RM13.38 million from 146.46 million units worth RM15.83 million.
Consumer products accounted for 119.46 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products (165.25 million), construction (46.66 million), trade and services (278.87 million), technology (46.36 million), infrastructure (9.33 million), SPAC (2.25 million), finance (58.01 million), hotels (7,200), properties (33.66 million), plantations (21.39 million), mining (0), REITs (21.59 million), and closed/fund (2,000).
The physical price of gold as at 5pm stood at RM164.89 per gramme, up RM1.99 from RM162.90 at 5pm last Friday. — Bernama