KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia remained lower at midday, amid profit-taking in plantation, utilities and industrial product sectors.

At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 2.04 points, or 0.12 per cent, to 1,733.71 from last Friday’s close of 1,735.75.

The benchmark index opened 0.10 of a point higher at 1,735.85, and fluctuated between 1,730.35 and 1,737.65 during the morning trading session.

On the broader market, gainers outpaced losers 538 to 469, while 522 counters were unchanged, 1,244 untraded and 21 suspended.

Turnover totalled 1.98 billion units worth RM1.22 billion.

However, Apex Securities Bhd said utilities and plantation counters may extend their gains, supported by continued defensive rotation and firm crude palm oil prices, respectively.

"Telecommunications and media and technology sectors could remain under pressure following Friday's weak showing, with sentiment in chip and telco-linked names still fragile after the recent pullback,” it said in a note.

Among the heavyweights, IHH Healthcare gained eight sen to RM8.38, Public Bank slid two sen to RM5.17, CIMB Group

inched down one sen to RM7.93, Tenaga Nasional lost 18 sen to RM14.22, while Maybank was flat at RM10.68.

Among active stocks, Dagang Nexchange

added two sen to 49 sen, NationGate Holdings increased seven sen to RM1.50, HHRG edged up 2.0 sen to 14 sen, Velesto Energy

 was 1.5 sen higher at 26 sen, and Steel Hawk was half a sen lower at 13 sen.

Allianz Malaysia

led the gainers list, rising 58 sen to RM22.10, Petronas Gas climbed 24 sen to RM17.40, Hong Leong Bank rose 22 sen to RM22.42, Kobay Technology jumped 19 sen to RM2.65, and Skyechip put on 18 sen to RM3.20.

As for the top losers, Kuala Lumpur Kepong declined RM1.16 sen to RM21.74, Nestle lost 70 sen to RM100.70, Malaysian Pacific Industries

slipped 20 sen to RM47.06, while Dutch Lady

Milk Industries and Fraser & Neave Holdings erased 12 sen each to RM31.88 and RM26.94, respectively.

Among the broader indices, the FBM Emas Index grew 16.50 points to 12,850.81, the FBM Top 100 Index garnered nine points to 12,669.20, and the FBM ACE Index rose 18.69 points to 5,098.64.

 The FBM Mid 70 Index surged 114.91 points to 18,341.43 and the FBM Emas Shariah Index increased 26.57 points to 12,689.81.

By sector, the Financial Services Index added 21.94 points to 20,438.47, the Energy Index perked up 4.53 points to 762.92, whle the Industrial Products and Services Index eased 0.63 of a point to 187.37, and the Plantation Index fell 33.86 points to 9,507.22. - Bernama