KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 21): The FBM KLCI notched up muted gains at mid-morning today as market activity was toned down ahead of the tabling of Budget 2017.

At 10.02am, the FBM KLCI was up 0.44 points to 1,667.62.

The gainers included Harrisons Holdings (M) Bhd, MBM Resources Bhd, Lingkaran Trans Kota Holdings Bhd, Panasonic Manufacturing Malaysia Bhd, British American Tobacco (M) Bhd, CIMB Group Holdings Bhd and Kobay Technology Bhd.

The actives included Dagang Nexchange Bhd, Hibiscus Petroleum Bhd, Kinsteel Bhd, CIMB and YTL Power International Bhd.

The losers included Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd, Tenaga Nasional Bhd, Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd, Aeon Credit Service (M) Bhd, Axiata Group Bhd and Public Bank Bhd.

Asian stocks slipped on Friday with a fall in crude oil prices dampening investor risk sentiment, while the dollar hovered near a seven-month high against an index of peers, according to Reuters.

The dollar was boosted by a fall in the euro after the European Central Bank shot down talk it was contemplating tapering its monetary easing — sending the euro lower, it said.

Hong Leong IB Research said that on the back of overnight fall in Wall St and sharp oil price pullback coupled with the tabling of Budget 2017 today, market activity is likely to tone down and the FBM KLCI is expected to trade sideways within a narrow range within 1,664–1,670 territory.