KLCI closes 1.09% down, lowest since April 10

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's FBM KLCI closed at 1,694.77, the lowest
since April 10 as some investors unwound their part of their positions
ahead of the weekend and Sunday's 13th General Elections.
At the close, the FBM KLCI was down 18.69 points or 1.09% to 1,694.77. It fell to a low of 1,685 earlier.
Turnover
rose to 933.24 million shares valued at RM2.31bil. There were two
decliners for every advancer, with 544 losers and 236 gainers and 289
counters unchanged.
Market sentiment remained weak nearly
throughout the day and the broader market did improve towards the close
on some mild nibbling for oversold stocks. The direction of the market
would hinge on the outcome of the elections on Sunday.
Genting Bhd was the biggest drag on the 30-stock index after its subsidiary, Genting Singapore's disappointing financial results. Genting fell 51 sen to RM9.99 and erased a hefty 4.07 points from the index.
Petronas Gas fell 44 sen to RM19.56 and Petronas Dagangan 32 sen to RM23.20 while UMW was down 40 sen to RM13.90.
Among the banks and finance stocks, Hong Leong Bank lost 14 sen to RM14.30 and CIMB 10 sen to RM7.61 while Maybank shed three sen to RM9.59. RHB Cap rose one sen to RM8.41.
Crude palm oil futures for third-month delivery fell RM10 to RM2,251. KLK was the top loser, down 64 sen to RM20.94 while PPB Group fell 24 sen to RM12.60 and FGV 134 sen to RM4.45.
Among the key regional markets:
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.1% to 22,689.96;
Shanghai's Composite Index rose 1.45% to 2,205.50;
Taiwan's Taiex rose 0.08% to 8,135.03;
South Korea's Kospi rose 0.43% to 1,965.71;
Singapore's Straits Times Index fell 0.95% to 3,369.90
The ringgit firmed up against the US dollar to 3.0335 from 3.0504.
US light crude oil fell 26 cents to US$93.73 and Brent 20 cents lower at US$102.65.
Spot gold rose US$9.88 to US$1,476.95.