KLCI ends Wednesday lower despite push from Tenaga, Maybank

KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI ended Wednesday lower despite a last minute push by Tenaga and Maybank, as investors locked in profits on Petronas-linked stocks and IOI Corp.

At 5pm, the KLCI was down 1.03 points to 1,842.82. Turnover was 1.16 billion valued at RM2.07bil. There were 334 gainers, 420 decliners and 333 counters unchanged.

Reuters reported most Asian share markets lurched lower on Wednesday as investors booked profits on a range of once-crowded positions, largely to the benefit of bonds and the detriment of the US dollar.

It said news that US budget negotiators had reached a provisional two-year deal to avoid another government shutdown offered some relief, but not enough to overcome the year-end blues.

At Bursa Malaysia, Tenaga rose 28 sen to RM11.30, BAT 50 sen to RM64 and IJM 34 sen to RM6.13.

Maybank rose eight sen to RM10.08.

MAHB rose 15 sen to RM9.15 and F&N 16 sen to RM18.30.

PetChem fell 13 sen to RM6.87 and PetDag 48 sen to RM30.30.

IOI Corp fell 13 sen to RM5.80 and UMWOG 27 sen to RM3.71.

The ringgit weakened against the dollar at 3.2167 from 3.2080 the previous close.

Among the key regional markets,

Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.62% to 15,515.06;

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 1.71% to 23,338.24;

Shanghai’s Composite Index fell 1.49% to 2,204.17;

Taiwan’s Taiex fell 0.11% to 8,433.77;

South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.78% to 1,977.97;

Singapore’s Straits Times Index fell 0.61% to 3,062.89.

US light crude oil rose one cent to US$98.52 and Brent rose 31 cents to US$109.69.

Spot gold fell US$6.12 to US$1,256.03.