KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia’s benchmark index closed lower on Thursday amid profit-taking in big-cap stocks, as investors shifted their focus to smaller-cap counters against the backdrop of weaker regional market performance. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 7.26 points or 0.43 per cent to 1,669.57 from Wednesday’s close of 1,676.83. The FBM KLCI opened 2.61 points lower at 1,674.22 and moved between 1,666.34 and 1,674.44 throughout the day. On the broader market, gainers led losers by 579 to 489, while 565 counters were unchanged, 1,016 untraded, and 12 suspended. Turnover was slightly higher at 2.79 billion units worth RM2.84 billion from Wednesday’s 2.73 billion units worth RM2.76 billion.
Stocks closed near the flatline Tuesday after a choppy trading session as U.S. oil prices seesawed and investors looked ahead to Fed Chair Janet Yellen's testimony.
The Dow fell nearly 150 points shortly after the open but briefly turned positive. The blue chips index briefly rose 100 points in late-afternoon trading, with Home Depot contributing the most gains.
The S&P 500 dropped nearly 1 percent at the open before briefly turning positive. The index held lower for most of the afternoon but briefly tried for gains as energy traded off its session lows.
The Dow fell nearly 150 points shortly after the open but briefly turned positive. The blue chips index briefly rose 100 points in late-afternoon trading, with Home Depot contributing the most gains.
The S&P 500 dropped nearly 1 percent at the open before briefly turning positive. The index held lower for most of the afternoon but briefly tried for gains as energy traded off its session lows.
The Nasdaq composite seesawed, opening down more than 1 percent, before reversing losses and gaining about 1 percent. In afternoon trading, however, the index fell more than 1 percent before trying for gains.
Investors also kept an eye on oil prices Tuesday. WTI futures plunged 5.89 percent, or $1.75, to trade at $27.94 a barrel in choppy trading. Earlier, the International Energy Agency said that demand for oil will "ease back considerably" in 2016. U.S. crude, however, pared losses slightly in after-hours, holding above $28.
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