FBM KLCI closes lower than yesterday

KUALA LUMPUR: Today, Asian markets saw a negative close due to an earlier announcement by S&P that they may downgrade the sovereign credit ratings of 15 European Union members.

Nymex crude oil fell 0.12% to US$100.87 per barrel while spot gold also fell by 0.12% to US$1,720.60 per ounce.

The local bourse benchmark index closed 0.61% lower than yesterday at 1,480.92. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index saw fall of 1.39% to 8,575.16, with the Hang Seng following closely with a drop of 1.24% to 18,942.23. Shanghai's A shares index fell about a third of a percentage to 2,325.90 while the Korean Kospi Index fell a percentage to 1,902.82. The FTSE Straits Times Index dropped 0.53% to 2,751.58.

At Bursa, losers outpaced gainers at 493 versus 255 while 281 remained unchanged. Total volume traded was 22.6 million with a turnover of RM1.3 billion. Kuala Lumpur Kepong lost 30 sen to RM21.68, Proton Holdings Bhd fell 19 sen to RM4.31 while CIMB Group Holdings Bhd fell 12 sen to RM7.09. Tradewinds Plantation Bhd gained 14 sen to RM4.56.

The ringgit strengthened against the US dollar at 3.135 and weakened against the euro at 4.193.