KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia extended its decline, ending lower at midday along with Indonesian and Taiwan markets as sentiments remained cautious.
At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) declined by 9.23 points, or 0.56 per cent, to 1,632.32, from Thursday's close of 1,641.55.
The benchmark index, which opened 3.06 points lower at 1,638.49, moved between 1,629.94 and 1,639.29 throughout the session.
On the broader market, decliners outnumbered gainers 582 to 302, with 459 counters unchanged, 1,065 untraded and 16 suspended.
Turnover amounted to 1.82 billion units valued at RM1.12 billion.
Energy and construction stocks bucked the trend, with both sector indexes closing green.
Apex Research said the local stock market will remain in a sideways trend following the release of slightly increased jobless claims.
Meanwhile, it said the lingering negative outlook from Middle East tensions continues to pose downside risks to the market.
"Sector-wise, we anticipate the energy sector to outperform others as funds continue rotating into this sector, supported by rising oil prices amid supply concerns driven by the Middle East conflict," the firm said.
Among the heavyweights, Malayan Banking Bhd and Tenaga Nasional Bhd went down 4.0 sen each to RM10.50 and 14.24, respectively, Public Bank Bhd fell 2.0 sen to RM4.55, CIMB Group Holdings Bhd slipped 5.0 sen to RM7.94 and IHH Healthcare Bhd was 7.0 sen lower at RM7.17.
Of the active counters, OCR Group Bhd eased 1.0 sen to 3.5 sen and Capital A Bhd trimmed 5.0 sen to 86 sen, while Bumi Armada Bhd gained 1.5 sen to 49.5 sen and Alam Maritim Resources Bhd advanced 1.0 sen to 3.5 sen.