KUALA LUMPUR (July 6): The FBM KLCI fell 1.32% at the midday break today in line with the weaker regional sentiment while the ringgit fell to a 16-year low.

At 12.30pm, benchmark index lost 22.60 points to 1,711.64.

Market breadth was weak as losers hammered gainers by 630 to 93, while 199 counters traded unchanged. Volume was 881.80 million shares valued at RM574.39 million.

The top losers included British American Tobacco (M) Bhd, United Plantations Bhd, Nestle (M) Bhd, Petronas Dagangan Bhd, Hap Seng Consolidated Bhd, Aeon Credit Services (M) Bhd, Hong Leong Bank Bhd, Hong Leong Financial Group Bhd, PPB Group Bhd, UMW Holdings Bhd, MISC Bhd and IJM Corporation Bhd.

The actively traded stocks included APFT Bhd, Frontken Corporation Bhd, Scan Associates Bhd, AirAsia X Bhd and Multi-Sports Holdings Bhd.

The top gainers included Danainfra Nasional Bhd, DKSH (M) Holdings Bhd, SAM Engineering & Equipment Bhd, MNRB Holdings Bhd and SKP Resources Bhd.

Malaysia's ringgit hit a 16-year low on Monday as political tensions mounted over a report that linked Prime Minister Najib Razak to probes into alleged corruption involving state fund 1MDB, according to Reuters.

The ringgit fell as much as 0.8 percent to 3.8070 per

dollar, its weakest since May 1999, it said.

Asian stocks and the euro stumbled on Monday after a Greek vote against austerity measures endangered its future in the single currency and raised the risk of a full-blown crisis in the euro zone, Reuters said.

U.S. equity futures dropped around 1.2 percent though they were off early lows. Japan's Nikkei share index fell 1.4 percent while MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dropped 0.5 percent, it said.

BIMB Securities Research said Asian markets mostly retreated last Friday ahead of the weekend's Greek referendum that could decide its eurozone future.

Locally, it said stocks were higher, as gains in the Plantation, Construction and Consumer Products sectors led shares higher.

“The FBM KLCI added 0.02% to 1,734.24.

“We expect a lackluster market today with immediate resistance of 1,741 and immediate support at 1,721,” it said.