KUALA LUMPUR: Investors' hopes of a firmer close for Bursa Malaysia evaporated as late selling pressured by foreign funds on key stocks including Sime Plantation, Tenaga Nasional and IHH Healthcare sent the FBM KLCI below the key 1,600 level.

At 5pm, the KLCI was down 3.55 points or 0.22% to 1,598.32. Turnover was 1.89 billion shares valued at RM1.55bil. There were 342 gainers, 449 losers and 358 counters unchanged.

Defensive consumer stocks were the top losers with Nestle down 80 sen to RM146.10, Carlsberg 40 sen to RM24.28, BAT 40 sen to RM33.02 and Dutch Lady 30 sen to RM63.60.

Sime Plantation fell 13 sen to RM4.53 and that erased 1.56 points from the KLCI but KL Kepong and PPB Group rose two sen each to RM24.18 and RM18.46 while IOI Corp advanced seven sen to RM4.26.

Tenaga lost 12 sen to RM11.54 and erased 1.19 points, IHH five sen lower at RM5.31, Press Metal six sen to RM4.27, GentingM four sen to RM3.09 and Genting five sen to RM6.28. However, Sime Darby was up five sen to RM2.20.

Petronas Chemical rebounded 12 sen to RM8.75 and added 1.68 points to the KLCI, Petronas Gas six sen to RM RM16.38 but Petronas Dagangan fell 12 sen to RM24.58.

Among the banks, Maybank shed three sen to RM8.99, HL Bank 10 sen to RM19.20, RHB Banbk five sen to RM5.65, CIMB flat t RM5.15 while Public Bank edged up two sen to RM22.52 and AmBank three sen to RM4.33.

As for telcos, Digi was up five sen to RM4.60 and Axiata four sen to RM4.45 but Maxis shed two sen to RM5.37.