KUALA LUMPUR: Key Asian markets started off Friday, Nov 13 on a cautious note following the lacklustre close on Wall Street while at Bursa Malaysia, Shell Refining, Genting and Genting PLANTATION []s posted small losses.

At 10am, the FBM KLCI fell 2.39 points to 1,269.36. Turnover was 152.6 million shares done valued at RM147.85 million. There were 122 gainers, 190 losers and 148 stocks unchanged.

Japan's Nikkei fell 0.53% to 9.752.13, Shanghai's Composite Index lost 0.24% to 3,165.38 while Singapore's Straits Times Index lost 0.7% to 2,707.18. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index opened 0.1% higher at 22,409.84 before reversing into the red in line with the cautious markets.

Light crude oil fell 57 cents to US$76.37 while US spot gold fell 53 cents to US$1,103.27.

According to HwangDBS Vickers Research, based by the underlying performance yesterday, when the FBM KLCI tumbled initially before staging a late recovery to finish little changed - it expected the 30-stock index to come under renewed selling pressure.

"Still, immediate downside risk will likely be moderate, with the first support line currently standing at 1,255," it said.

On Wall Street, profit-taking saw major US equity indices closing down 0.8% to 1.0% as oil & gas related counters were hit by a plunge in crude oil prices (down 3.0% to US$76.94 per barrel).

At Bursa Malaysia, Cepco fell the most, down 30 sen to RM2.80 with 1,000 shares done. Shell Refining gave up 10 sen to RM10.70, Genting six sen to RM7.12 and Genting Plantations five sen to RM6.10.

Green Packet recent losses saw the share price slipping five sen to RM1.33 with 3.3 million shares done and the warrants 3.5 sen to 81.5 sen.

IJM Plantations fell seven sen to RM2.41 but the warrants, which were listed today, rose 31 sen to 31.5 sen with1,800 units done.

NSTP rose the most, up 39 sen to RM2.39 with 4.79 million shares done after it declared a 40 sen special tax-exempt dividend and Media Prima upped its takeover offer.

HLFG rose 13 sen to RM6.67 while Lityan, which was relatively lacklustre over the past week, rose 10 sen to RM2.41. Adventa advanced seven sen to RM2.30 after CIMB Research upgraded the glove maker.

Hubline-WA was the most active, shedding 0.5 sen to 12.5 sen with 15.4 million units done while the shares also fell 0.5 sen to 24 sen.