KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 5): The FBM KLCI steadied at mid-morning on Thursday and was up 7.3 points to 1,511.25 at 10.01am, lifted by gains at select blue chips, while regional markets traded mixed.
Gainers led losers by 236 to 164, while 228 counters traded unchanged. Volume wa332.32 million shares valued at RM231.13 million.
Meanwhile, Asian shares and the euro eased on Thursday as concerns about the ability of euro zone countries to refinance their huge public debt dampened investor risk appetite ahead of a French bond auction later in the day, according to Reuters.
The euro zone's sovereign funding plans and US economic data, including U.S. jobs figures due on Friday, are the primary focus for market participants to gauge whether investors would take or avert risk, it said.
At the regional markets, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index edged up 0.08% to 18,742.43, Taiwan’s Taiex added 0.14% to 7,093.05 and South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.39% to 1,873.41.
Meanwhile, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.61% to 8,508.25, the Shanghai Composite Index dipped 0.07% to 2,167.91 and Singapore’s Straits Times Index shed 0.02% to 2,710.48.
BIMB Securities Research in a note Jan 5 said attention on Eurozone crisis was back to haunt investors again after a few days of reprieve, adding that the situation was made worse from a weak capital raising exercise of €7.5bn by Italy’s Unicredit.
As a result, jittery sentiments resurfaced and wiped out all gains made the previous day by European bourses as most ended in the red, it said.
Wall Street fared better with a 21 point gain buoyed by improved sales figures from the automakers, said the research house.
It said Asian bourses were apparently affected by the weak European performances with most charted into negative territory.
“Locally, the FBM KLCI fell for the second consecutive days possibly suffering from indigestion amid an overbought position.
“Expect the psychological 1,500 level to be tested today and it is crucial that this support level is maintained,” it said.
On Bursa Malaysia, Nestle was the top gainer at mid-morning and added 40 sen to RM56.40; Timwell gained 28 sen to RM1.08, United PLANTATION []s and Dutch Lady rose 20 sen each to RM19.40 and RM24.20, BHIC 17 sen to RM4.02, HLFG 14 sen to RM11.66, while F&N, Hong Leong Bank and UMW rose 10 sen each to RM18.22, RM10.84 and RM7.09 respectively.
Decliners included Far East, KrisAssets, IJM Corp, Dialog, IIGB, Toyo Ink and Hibiscus, while the actives included JCY, Proton, Astral Supreme and HWGB.
