Sime weighs on blue chips

KUALA LUMPUR: Blue chips eased at the midday break on Friday, April 23, weighed down by heavyweight Sime Darby but the broader market reflected more optimism with CIMB and MISC among the gainers.

Most key regional markets were in the red as sentiment was impacted by gnawing worries about Greece's budget deficit and China's move to rein in its hot property market, which saw Hong Kong and Shanghai's benchmark indices in the negative territory.

At Bursa Malaysia, the FBM KLCI was in the red, down 1.08 point to 1,335.93. Turnover was 461 million shares valued at RM455.62 million. There were 228 gainers, 316 losers and 299 stocks unchanged.

Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.22% to 10,924.9, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index lost 0.8% to 21,288.90, Shanghai's Composite Index shed 0.31% to 2,990.06 and Singapore's Straits Times Index 0.2% lower at 2,973.7.

Light crude oil fell 10 cents to US$83.60, US spot gold shed 55 cents to US$1,140.95 while crude palm oil futures advanced RM37 to RM2,527.

At Bursa Malaysia, Sime fell 10 sen to RM8.80, Public Bank foreign and YTL eight sen each to RM12 and RM7.42.
CMSB lost 13 sen to RM2.60, Pos Malaysia 11 sen to RM2.90 and MFlour eight sent to RM3.92.

Talam rose 1.5 sen to 15.5 sen with 105.78 million shares done as investors expected it to exit the Practice Note 17 soon.

KNM rose 0.5 sen to 59.5 sen and it saw 26 million shares done.

Plastic packaging companies, Tomypak rose 25 sen to Rm3.23 and Daibochi 14 sen higher at RM3.41. MISC added 18 sen to RM8.98 after it was upgraded by AmResearch. PacMas climbed 15 sen to RM4.18 while CIMB climbed 14 sen to RM14.22.