KL shares close easier (23.02.2009)

SHARES prices on Bursa Malaysia closed the day lower as investors continued to remain cautious ahead of corporate results and economic reports due this week, dealers said.

The benchmark Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) eased 1.88 points to close at 887.83 after opening 2.31 points lower at 887.40 this morning.

Throughout the session, the KLCI moved between 885.40 and 892.93.
The week ahead would see the release of Bank Negara’s monetary policy statement and the portfolio investment statistics and 2008 fourth quarter gross domestic product figure.

Also due for release this week are the fourth quarter results for heavyweights Maybank, Sime Darby and Telekom Malaysia.

The Plantation Index today fell 15.37 points to 4,371.12 while the Industrial Index slipped 17.61 points to 2,088.71 and the Finance Index lost3.13 points to 7,023.69.

The FBMEmas eased 6.36 points to 5,831.48, the FBM30 went down 11.22 points to 5,756.76 but the FBMMesdaq gained 14.19 points to 3,156.36 and the FBM2BRDrose 7.80 points to 3,988.29.

Advancers led decliners by 225 to 206 while 211 counters were unchanged,604 untraded and 32 others suspended.

In light trading, turnover today was at 318.390 million shares valued atRM488.453.

According to dealers, there have been no major reasons for investors to exit the local stock market given that economic growth and the business environment have remained resilient. But some market players are still cautious, they added.

Trading on the local bourse today was also light today following the poor lead from Wall Street.

Volume on the Main Board slipped to 276.939 million shares worth RM479.456million from 316.244 million shares valued at RM589.863 million last Friday.

Turnover on the Second Board went down to 21.745 million shares valued at RM6.406 million from 21.807 million shares worth RM7.133 million previously.

Volume on the Mesdaq Market eased to 8.848 million shares worth RM1.633 million from 15.722 million shares valued at RM2.907 million previously.

Warrants declined to 10.478 million valued at RM882,233 compared with last Friday's close of 15.028 million worth RM1.098.

KNM Group was the most actively traded stock, decreasing half a sen to 40.5sen with 318.52 million shares traded, followed by Compugates Holdings which was flat at 17 sen and Transmile Group which gained 14.5 sen to 65 sen.

Blue chips Sime Darby lost five sen to RM5.60, but Tenaga Nasional rose five sen to RM6.15 while Maybank was unchanged at RM5.30.

On a sectoral basis, consumer products accounted for 7.968 million sharestraded on the Main Board, industrial products 63.060 million, construction30.516 million, trade/services 93.778 million, technology 3.321 million,infrastructure 8.309 million, finance 21.480 million, hotels 9.514 million,properties 26.489 million, plantations 10.877 million, mining 3,000, REITs1.611 million and closed/fund 7,400. -- BERNAMA

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