KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 6): Asian markets fell on Friday as Europe remained the central theme and the overhanging eurozone debt crisis kept investors on tenterhooks.
The FBM KLCI fell 4.71 points to 1,509.72 at the mid-day break, as blue chips including KLK, BAT, Petronas Gas and Maybank slipped.
Market breadth turned negative with losers beating gainers by 358 to 286, while 263 counters traded unchanged. Volume was 806.22 million shares valued at RM598.27 million.
The ringgit weakened 0.05% to 3.1525 versus the US dollar; crude palm oil futures for the third month delivery fell RM16 per tonne to RM3,173, crude oil slipped 46 cents per barrel to US$101.35 while gold added 85 cents an ounce to US$1,623.57.
Asian shares fell and the euro hovered near a 16-month low against the dollar on Friday on worries that the euro zone debt crisis is crippling European banks, with players hoping U.S. job data later in the day will help improve sentiment, according to Reuters.
At the regional markets, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.05% to 8,399.66, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index lost 1.4% to 18,550.37, South Korea’s Kospi was down 1.64% to 1,833.18, the Shanghai Composite Index down 0.32% to 2,141.51, Singapore’s Straits Times Index fell 0.23% to 2,706.66 and Taiwan’s Taiex shed 0.18% to 7,118.38.
On Bursa Malaysia, KLK fell RM1.02 to RM24.24 after the price surge on Thursday BAT down 36 sen to RM49.30, BHIC 20 sen to RM3.91, Tradewinds PLANTATION []s 15 sen to RM4.35, Petronas Gas and Box-Pak 10 sen each to RM14.74 and RM2.42, Parkson nine sen to RM5.47 while AIRB, Jetson and Maybank lost eight sen each to RM1.59, RM1.24 and RM8.21 respectively.
Among the gainers, Dutch Lady rose 40 sen to RM25.40, Can-One 27 sen to RM1.64, NSOP 23 sen to RM5.78, Maybulk 17 sen to RM1.71, BLD Plantations 15 sen to RM7.75, MPI 14 sen to RM2.87, KLCCP 12 sen to RM3.32 and Nestle up 10 sen to RM56.40.
Nextnation was the most actively traded counter with 43.4 million shares done. The stock rose three sen to 11.5 sen.
Other actives included Unisem, Hibiscus, XDL, Utopia, Maybulk and JCY.
The FBM KLCI fell 4.71 points to 1,509.72 at the mid-day break, as blue chips including KLK, BAT, Petronas Gas and Maybank slipped.
Market breadth turned negative with losers beating gainers by 358 to 286, while 263 counters traded unchanged. Volume was 806.22 million shares valued at RM598.27 million.
The ringgit weakened 0.05% to 3.1525 versus the US dollar; crude palm oil futures for the third month delivery fell RM16 per tonne to RM3,173, crude oil slipped 46 cents per barrel to US$101.35 while gold added 85 cents an ounce to US$1,623.57.
Asian shares fell and the euro hovered near a 16-month low against the dollar on Friday on worries that the euro zone debt crisis is crippling European banks, with players hoping U.S. job data later in the day will help improve sentiment, according to Reuters.
At the regional markets, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.05% to 8,399.66, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index lost 1.4% to 18,550.37, South Korea’s Kospi was down 1.64% to 1,833.18, the Shanghai Composite Index down 0.32% to 2,141.51, Singapore’s Straits Times Index fell 0.23% to 2,706.66 and Taiwan’s Taiex shed 0.18% to 7,118.38.
On Bursa Malaysia, KLK fell RM1.02 to RM24.24 after the price surge on Thursday BAT down 36 sen to RM49.30, BHIC 20 sen to RM3.91, Tradewinds PLANTATION []s 15 sen to RM4.35, Petronas Gas and Box-Pak 10 sen each to RM14.74 and RM2.42, Parkson nine sen to RM5.47 while AIRB, Jetson and Maybank lost eight sen each to RM1.59, RM1.24 and RM8.21 respectively.
Among the gainers, Dutch Lady rose 40 sen to RM25.40, Can-One 27 sen to RM1.64, NSOP 23 sen to RM5.78, Maybulk 17 sen to RM1.71, BLD Plantations 15 sen to RM7.75, MPI 14 sen to RM2.87, KLCCP 12 sen to RM3.32 and Nestle up 10 sen to RM56.40.
Nextnation was the most actively traded counter with 43.4 million shares done. The stock rose three sen to 11.5 sen.
Other actives included Unisem, Hibiscus, XDL, Utopia, Maybulk and JCY.
