KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia, which opened positive, turned red as market jitters hit on an escalation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
At 10.30am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) lost 5.26 points to 1,597.08 from yesterday's close of 1,602.34.
The benchmark index started the day 0.54 points higher at 1,602.88.
On the broader market, losers outnumbered gainers 410 to 291, while 421counters remained unchanged.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice president Thong Pak Leng said the FBM KLCI closed in the red yesterday paring earlier gains attributed to late selling by foreign funds.
"Nonetheless, we remain optimistic that bargain hunting activities will emerge thus expect the index to trend between the 1,600-1,610 range today," he told Business Times.
Thong noted that Nasdaq bucked the trend predominantly boosted by Nvidia ahead of its earnings results due later today.
Meanwhile, he said the US 10-year yield eased slightly to 4.396 per cent.
In Hong Kong, he said the Hang Seng Index (HSI) trended higher albeit modestly as the outlook was boosted by China's pledge to ramp up more support for the city's financial market.
This is via more listings of Chinese companies, improved market access, and the issuance of treasury bonds.