KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 8): The FBM KLCI remained lacklustre at the midday break today as an absence of fresh catalysts kept investors on the sidelines.

At 12.30pm, the FBM KLCI was down 0.7 points at 1,558.3. The index had earlier risen to a high of 1,565.16.

Gainers edged losers by 254 to 244, while 528 counters traded unchanged. Volume was 1.37 billion shares valued at RM733.14 million.

The decliners included Petronas Dagangan Bhd, British American Tobacco (M) Bhd, Genting Plantations Bhd, ViTrox Corp Bhd, UMW Holdings Bhd, Latitude Tree Holdings Bhd, Syarikat Takaful Malaysia Keluarga Bhd, Petronas Gas Bhd and Timberwell Bhd.

The actives included Green Packet Bhd, Priceworth International Bhd, Sumatec Resources Bhd, Ekovest Bhd, MNC Wireless Bhd, Iskandar Waterfront City Bhd and Vsolar Group Bhd.

The gainers included Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd, Hengyuan Refining Company Bhd, Hong Leong Industries Bhd, Aeon Credit Service (M) Bhd, Scientex Bhd, LPI Capital Bhd, KESM Industries Bhd, Hong Leong Bank Bhd and Jade Marvel Group Bhd.

Asian shares inched up on Tuesday, with Chinese shares making modest gains after a week-long holiday, though investors remained cautious over US-China trade talks after President Donald Trump said a quick trade deal was unlikely, according to Reuters.

Japan's Nikkei climbed 1% while MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.73%, led by gains in tech shares in South Korea and Taiwan, it said.

Affin Hwang Capital Research said the FBM KLCI Index edged higher in yesterday's session, gaining 1.33 points or 0.09%, closing at 1,559.

"Market slowed down yesterday after three consecutive days of heavy losses.

"Currently, the index is hovering just above the 1,550 psychological support level. Moving forward, we may see some form of support at current levels.

"Anticipate the index to resume its downward movement," it said.