KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia closed in the red on Thursday dragged by profit-taking activities by investors.
At 5pm, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI was down 0.38 per cent or 6.01 points to 1,584.94 versus Wednesday's close of 1,590.95.
The key index opened firm at 1,591.53 and moved between 1,582.31 and 1,592.26 throughout the day.
The broader market saw decliners led gainers 799 to 320 while 460 counters were unchanged.
On the index board, FBM100 dropped 0.38 per cent to 11,747.54, FBM Ace slipped 0.60 per cent to 5,688.98 and FBM Emas tumbled 0.41 per cent to 12,160.84.
Tradeview Capital Sdn Bhd vice president Tan Cheng Wen said the index closed lower today mainly due to general profit taking by investors following the stellar run of the local bourse the past two months.
"Sentiment may continue as we see no upcoming major catalyst. However, the slight downturn may also present itself as an opportunity for investors to build some positions in high quality names," he told Business Times.
Ge-Shen Corp Bhd emerged as top gainer, adding 29 sen to RM3.40. Theta Edge Bhd gained 25 sen to RM1.73.
On the losing end, Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd lost 30 sen to RM35.50 and Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd lost 19 sen to RM6.33.