Bursa Malaysia was pulled out of a regional rally, with major indices continuing their decline as investors took profits from blue-chip stocks.
As the market halted trading for the lunch break, the FBM KLCI fell 6.52 points to 1,549.62, with heavyweights such as Maybank and PETRONAS Chemicals reversing the index's direction.
Analysts said the market is currently in a consolidation phase, with investors awaiting fresh clues following the announcement of first-quarter earnings results by corporates in the coming days.
Volume was 1.61 billion shares traded for a total of RM853.26 million.
In a note, Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd expected the benchmark index to likely remain in a consolidation phase, ranging between 1,550 and 1,580 in the medium term.
Among heavyweights, TNB rose two sen to RM14.12, while Press Metal added one sen to RM4.97. CIMB and Hong Leong Bank remained unchanged at RM7.10 and RM19.90 respectively. Maybank fell 10 sen to RM10.08, while Public Bank fell one sen to RM4.48.
Among active stocks, newly listed ACE market shares, PEOPLElogy, and Tanco, added half a sen to 25.5 sen and 94.5 sen respectively. Velesto was flat at 16.5 sen, while Permaju fell half a sen to three sen.
