KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia started the day in the red, mirroring the decline seen on Wall Street overnight.
At 9:10 am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 4.38 points to 1,604.05 from yesterday's close of 1,608.43.
The benchmark index, however, kicked off the day with a slight gain of 0.18 points, reaching 1,608.61.
On the broader market, losers led gainers 213 to 107, with 272 counters unchanged.
Turnover was 192.19 million shares, valued at RM115.28 million.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice president Thong Pak Leng said the FBMKLCI ended marginally lower yesterday as selling from foreign funds remained.
"Though we expected a swift rebound from the index, it did not happen as investors were mostly sidelined.
"Nonetheless, we are hopeful that the recent surge in crude palm oil (CPO) price will attract some buying interest in plantation stocks.
"For today, we anticipate the index to hover within the 1,610-1,620 range," he told Business Times.
Meanwhile, Thong said Wall Street closed lower as the market took a breather as it is encountering some indigestion following a record-breaking run.
He added that the US 10-year yield edged higher at 4.429 per cent.
"In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index (HSI) slumped to below the 20,000-mark as traders are largely unconvinced of the latest round of Chinese stimulus measures.
"The sell-down was broad-based, with electric vehicle (EV) producers bearing the brunt of the declines," he noted.