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.
KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 13): The FBM KLCI pared gains it made earlier in the day — supported by oil producing countries’ decision to reduce crude oil output — to close 3.86 points or 0.24% higher at 1,645.28 points.
Earlier in the day, the benchmark index gained as much as 10.03 points or 0.61% to touch an intraday high of 1,651.45, as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC countries’ deal to cut output had supported crude oil prices and the ringgit.
“News of the cut in oil output had supported the ringgit and the KLCI earlier in the day, but there seems to be pressure building on the Chinese renminbi with an increase in short positions.
“This resulted in the weakening of the ringgit, which also caused the index to pare the gains it made earlier in the day,” said Inter-Pacific Securities Sdn Bhd head of research Pong Teng Siew.
At the time of writing, the ringgit has weakened 0.28% to trade at 4.4370 against the U.S. dollar.
Across the board, some 1.33 billion shares worth RM1.73 billion were exchanged today on the local bourse, with gainers beating decliners at 418 versus 322.
Gainers were led by Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd, while Apollo Food Holdings Bhd topped decliners. The most actively-traded stock was Hibiscus Petroleum Bhd.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.5% while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and South Korea’s Kospi retreated 1.37% and 0.66% respectively.
Reuters reported Asian shares and the dollar were on tenterhooks on Tuesday, as the Federal Reserve prepares to review rates later in the day, with financial markets focused on how the Fed steers monetary policy in the wake of Republican Donald Trump's surprise election win last month.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was nearly flat in late afternoon trading, it said.
Source: The Edge
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