KUALA LUMPUR: Blue chips closed sightly lower on Thursday as Tenaga Nasional, CIMB and IHH Healthcare slipped on profit taking while the undertone of the overall market was cautious amid the mixed key Asian bourses.

At 5pm, the FBM KLCI was down 2.33 points or 0.14% to 1,635.68. Tunover declined to 3.77 billion shares valued at RM2.54bil. There 407 gainers, 464 losers and 440 counters unchanged.

Asian shares slipped as a surprise deterioration in German and South Korean economic data rekindled fears of slowing global growth. The selling extended into regional equities as well, Reuters reported.

Japan's Nikkei 225 was up 0.48%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.86%, Shanghai Composite Index skidded 2.43%, South Korea's Kospi fell 0.48% and Singapore's STI closed down 0.36%.

The ringgit weakened against the US dollar, falling 0.21% to 4.1375 but gained strength against the poun sterling, up 0.23% to 5.3284, rose by 0.51% to the euro to 4.6085 and climbed 0.27% to the Singapore, ending the day at 3.0311.

Worries about the outflow from the Malaysian bonds have kept investors' risk appetite for equities in check. 

Tenaga fell 18 sen to RM12.26 and erased 1.78 points from the KLCI, IHH fell six sen to RM5.55 and wiped out 0.91% while Hartalega lost 10 sen to RM5.05 but Top Glove rose two sen to RM4.82.  

Genting Bhd rallied 19 sen to RM7.05 and lifted the KLCI by 1.28 points while GentingM inched up one sen RM3.22. 

US light crude oil rose 21 cents to US$66.10 and Brent rallied 70 cents to US$75.27 as the US put pressure on Iran but the rally in oil prices did not have a significant impact on Petronas stocks.

Petronas Chemical rose two sen to RM9.05, Petronas Dagangan added four sen to RM24.20 but Petronas Gas lost 12 sen to RM17.54. Dialog added two sen to RM24.20.

Among the banks, CIMB gave up part of the previous day's gains, falling six sen to RM5.19, Public Bank lost four sen to RM22.60, AmBank five sen lower at  RM4.45 and Hong Leong Bank two sen lower at RM20 while Maybank shed one sen to 

RM9.13. However, RHB Bank inched up one sen to RM5.80.

Crude palm oil for third month delivery shed RM2 to RM2,168 per tonne. IOI Corp ended two sen higher at RM4.51, KL Kepong rose four sen to RM24.70, Sime Plantation wasflatat RM5.09.

Nestle was the top loser as its share price was viewed as too expensive. It fell 50 sen to RM146.50, F&N 38 sen to RM34.12 and Carlsberg 36 sen to RM24.34.

Bumi Armada fell 2.5 sen to 24.5 sen with 482 million shares done.

Ekovest rose one sen to 94.5 sen and the warrants uchanged at 44.8 sen. IWCIty shed one sen to RM1.18.

G3 surged 32 sen to RM1.39 and the warrants 30 sen higher at RM1.23.

The stock has been on a tear since the start of the week, having put on 48 sen or 60% of its value since last Friday. 

On April 5, G3 appointed a new chairman, Wan Khalik Wan Muhammad, and managing director, Datuk Khan Mohd Akram.

Wan Khalik is also a substantial shareholder in DWL Resources Bhd and a former executive director in the company who was on April 8 appointed the executive chairman.

Profit taking saw DWL falling 24 sen to RM1.26.