KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia remained lower at midday, tracking mixed performances across regional markets as investor sentiment remained cautious amid concerns over rising oil prices, driven by the ongoing geopolitical tensions in West Asia.
At 12.30pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 1.17 points to 1,735.98 from Thursday's close of 1,737.15.
The benchmark index opened 1.93 points lower at 1,735.22, and fluctuated between 1,729.34 and 1,739.14 during the morning trading session.
On the broader market, losers outpaced gainers 558 to 379, while 560 counters were unchanged, 1,276 untraded and 21 suspended.
Turnover totalled 1.96 billion units, worth RM1.66 billion.
Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd said the FBM KLCI is expected to trade on a mixed footing today.
"Spiking crude oil prices, driven by Middle East supply disruptions, will continue to provide immediate trading catalysts across energy counters.
"However, strong fundamental catalysts should continue to support resilience in technology counters," it said in a note today.
Among the heavyweights, Maybank and Public Bank dropped eight sen to RM10.72 and RM5.15, respectively, CIMB Group lost six sen to RM7.91, and IHH Healthcare eased two sen to RM8.31, while Public Bank added six sen to RM14.54.
Of the active stocks, Perak Transit gained four sen to 21.5 sen, YTL Corp climbed 16 sen to RM2.13, and YTL Power International was 29 sen stronger at RM4.66, while Malaysian Resources Corp and HHRG were flat at 34 sen and 10.5 sen, respectively.
Nestle led the gainers list, jumping 60 sen to RM101.90, while Tong Herr Resources strengthened 49 sen to RM2.39, Hong Leong Industries went up 24 sen to RM17.92, and Allianz Malaysia grew by 20 sen to RM21.28.
As for the top losers, Batu Kawan slumped 66 sen to RM20.74, Malaysian Pacific Industries shed 42 sen to RM47.24, United Plantations fell 32 sen to RM33.88, and UMS Integration slid 19 sen to RM7.56.
Among the broader indices, the FBM Emas Index shed 15.44 points to 12,840.57, the FBM Top 100 Index erased 16.25 points to 12,669.03, and the FBM Mid 70 Index contracted 56.31 points to 18,269.75.
The FBM ACE Index put on 23.15 points to 5,060.90, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index inched up 0.57 of a point to 12,692.11.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index dropped 144.19 points to 20,375.65, the Plantation Index shrank 25.06 points to 9,439.49, and the Energy Index retreated 3.34 points to 759.07, while the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 0.41 of a point to 188.19.