KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 2): Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session on Wednesday (Nov 2) flat amid cautious sentiment in the market. 

At 12.30pm, the FBM KLCI barely changed, with the index edging up by 0.08 of a point to 1,446.0, from Tuesday's close at 1,445.92.

The market bellwether, which opened 5.06 points higher at 1,450.98, moved between 1,442.89 and 1,451.92 throughout the morning session.

On the broader market, gainers slightly outpaced decliners 378 to 320, while 404 counters were unchanged, 1,216 untraded, and 13 others suspended.

Turnover stood at 1.31 billion units valued at RM802.61 million. 

Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd expects limited upside for local equities. It forecast the benchmark index to hover within the 1,440-1,455 range on Wednesday, with buying interest in plantation stocks.

Meanwhile, it was reported that Wall Street's major indices declined on Tuesday, as investors cautiously awaited the US Federal Reserve's (Fed) decision on interest rates.

The Fed will make an announcement later on Wesnesday when concluding a two-day policy meeting.

While markets are widely expecting another 75-basis-point rate hike from the US central bank, investors will also look for clues about the Fed's future policy path.

Among local heavyweight counters, Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) stood at RM8.54, followed by Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd at RM8.63, and CIMB Group Holdings Bhd at RM5.48. All three counters were unchanged.

Public Bank Bhd rose one sen to RM4.42, while Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) lost seven sen to RM8.33.

Among the actives, Saudee Group Bhd gained 1.5 sen to 4.5 sen and Shin Yang Shipping Corp Bhd too added 1.5 sen to 90.5 sen, while Opcom Holdings Bhd increased 5.5 sen to 95.5 sen, Hibiscus Petroleum Bhd was half a sen higher at RM1, and KNM Group Bhd was flat at four sen.

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index gained 7.98 points to 10,275.11, the FBM 70 went up 27.52 points to 12,236.10, and the FBMT 100 Index improved 5.67 points to 10,007.79.

The FBM Emas Shariah Index advanced 14.72 points to 10,350.42, and the FBM ACE rose 28.40 points to 4,906.42.  

Sector-wise, the Energy Index was 14.33 points higher at 709.83, the Plantation Index climbed 28.33 points to 6,821.26, and the Industrial Products and Services Index inched up 0.50 of a point to 175.17.  

The Financial Services Index slid 25.24 points to 16,287.06.