KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 28): The FBM KLCI settled down 5.67 points or 0.36% at 1,549.11 before Bursa Malaysia's afternoon break today as investors took their cue from Malaysian corporate financials for the current reporting season for the April-to-June quarter.

The current reporting season is expected to conclude today.

At 12.30pm today, Bursa had seen 6.24 billion securities traded across the exchange for RM2.59 billion.

Meanwhile, Bernama reported Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd as saying amid volatile trading, the strong trading interest spurred by rotational play among lower liners may continue to dominate the trading scene.

“While the focus on the technology sector is expected to march higher, we think that the construction sector will see some upward bias move as tenders for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) kick off.

“Elsewhere, plantation stocks are also in favour owing to strong corporate earnings which look to be sustained with CPO (crude palm oil) prices hovering above RM2,600 per tonne in recent months.

“Gains, however, will be capped with 1,580 as the immediate resistance, followed by 1,600. Downside risk remains at 1,540, followed by 1,515,” the research house added.

According to Bernama, of the heavyweights, Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) had shed five sen to RM7.41, Top Glove Corp Bhd fell 32 sen to RM26.08, Public Bank Bhd rose six sen to RM16.68, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) went down two sen to RM11.10, and Hartalega Holdings Bhd dropped six sen to RM16.80.

Among the actives, XOX Bhd dipped six sen to 26 sen, Pegasus Heights Bhd was flat at four sen, and Konsortium Transnasional Bhd added 6.5 sen to 17 sen.

Of the top losers, PPB Group Bhd lost 38 sen to RM18.88, followed by Top Glove and Hap Seng Consolidated Bhd which shed 30 sen to RM7.58.

Top gainers Allianz Malaysia Bhd increased 56 sen to RM14.04, BLD Plantation Bhd improved 50 sen to RM7 and Supermax Corp Bhd advanced 34 sen to RM20.54.

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index increased 15.28 points to 11,196.31, the FBMT 100 Index was 14.92 points weaker at 11,000.34, but the FBM 70 appreciated 78.84 points to 14,680.14.

The FBM Emas Shariah Index reduced 23.78 points to 13,267.80, and the FBM ACE slid 105.14 points to 11,101.80.

Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index declined 7.39 points to 12,828.66, the Industrial Products and Services Index eased 1.12 point to 139.06, and the Plantation Index erased 6.97 points to 7,075.07.