KUALA LUMPUR: Equities markets are on the backfoot as investors await the release of inflation data from the US Federal Reserve later this week, which could either affirm or dispel hopes that interest rates have reached their terminal rate for now.
At 12.30pm, the benchmark FBM KLCI was down 1.93 point to 1,451.99 with an overall negative market breadth of 564 decliners to 262 gainers.
Trading volume was 1.86 billion shares valued at RM1.02bil.
Among key Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei shed 0.6% to 33,432 and South Korea's Kospi dropped 0.2% to 2,492.
China's composite index fell 0.8% to 3,107 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng slid 1% to 17,385.
On Malaysia's blue-chip index, PETRONAS Chemicals dragged on the market after sliding 18 sen to RM7.12 while IHH dropped 13 sen to RM9.87.
Tenaga Nasional slipped 13 sen to RM9.87, CelcomDigi shed two sen to RM4.16 and Press Metal
fell two sen to RM4.86.
Sime Darby Plantation was a rare bright spot, gaining eight sen to RM4.42 while Genting climbed seven sen to RM4.60 and Genting Malaysia rose five sen to RM2.70.
Among the market's laggards, Hextar Technologies fell 40 sen to RM23.30, LPI slid 18 sen to RM11.82 and Oppster dove 20 sen to RM1.41.
ACE Market debutant Panda Eco System topped the actives list with 175.99 million shares traded. Active buying interest shored up the stock by 10 sen to 26 sen.
Meanwhile, Top Glove was down 1.5 sen to 88.5 sen while Leform rose 05 sen to 30 sen.
