KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia closed in negative territory at midday dragged by plantation, financial services and utilities heavyweights.
At 12.30pm, FTSE Bursa Malaysia (FBM) KLCI was down 0.3 per cent or 4.99 points to 1,668.39 versus Wednesday's close of 1,673.38.
The key index moved between 1,666.93 and 1,672.60 in morning trade.
Losers led gainers in the broader market at 551 to 349 while 480 counters were unchanged.
BLD Plantation Bhd and Malaysian Pacific Industries Bhd were among the top losers, shedding 28 sen and 34 sen respectively to RM10.72 and RM26.12. Gainers were Nestle (M) Bhd which added RM1.10 to RM103.50 and Hong Leong Financial Group rose 38 sen to RM19.78.
The index board was also a sea of red. FBM100 lost 0.36 per cent to 12,140.32, FBM Emas tumbled 0.35 per cent to 12,440.37 and FBM Ace dropped 0.07 per cent to 5,128.11.