KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 13): The FBM KLCI slipped in early trade this morning, dragged by index-linked heavyweights Public Bank Bhd and Tenaga Nasional Bhd as well as other blue chips.

At 9.05am, the FBM KLCI dipped 3.96 points to 1,781.29.

The top losers included Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd, Public Bank, Petron Malaysia Refining & Marketing Bhd, UMW Holdings Bhd, Top Glove Corp Bhd, IHH Healthcare Bhd, Heineken Malaysia Bhd and Tenaga Nasional.

Asian shares won a reprieve on Thursday as news the Trump administration has reached out to China for a new round of trade talks raised hopes a deal could be struck in the bitter tariff dispute between the world's two biggest economies, according to Reuters.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan inched 0.2 percent higher in early trade, a day after it hit 14-month lows, while Japan's Nikkei gained 0.8 percent, it said.

JF Apex Securities Research in a market preview said US markets ended mixed with the Dow and S&P climbing overnight after news report of the US proposing a fresh round of trade talks with China.

It said that earlier, European stocks ended higher with gains in oil and gas and retail counters.

“On the local market, the FBM KLCI plunged 13.92 points to 1785.25 points.

“Following the encouraging performance in the US and Europe, the FBM KLCI could trend sideways and hover below the resistance of 1800 points,” it said.