KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI retraced earlier losses on the back of buying interest in PETRONAS Chemicals, despite otherwise weak market sentiment.
At the lunch break, the benchmark index was up 0.36 points to 1,598.54, while regional markets were mostly in the red following a disappointing revenue forecast by Nvidia.
PETRONAS Chemicals rallied 26 sen to RM4.83 while Sunway gained nine sen to RM4.99 and Maybank added 10 sen to RM10.22.
The gains, however, were offset by declines in Tenaga Nasional, down 22 sen to RM14.08, Nestle sliding 34 sen to RM97.66 and YTL Power shedding 11 sen to RM3.04.
Meanwhile, Bursa Malaysia's lower liners remained subdued with broad selling pressure taking 591 stocks into the red, as compared to 304 in positive territory.
Of actives, the leading stocks were Zentech up 0.5 sen to 1.5 sen, MYEG rising three sen to 91 sen and MQ Technology flat at 12 sen.
The overall markets trading volume was 2.22 billion shares changing hands for RM1.14bil.
Meanwhile, Japan's Nikkei led key Asian market lower after falling 0.91% to 38,001.
China's composite index was down 0.1% to 3,364 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.13% to 19,680.
Singapore's Straits Times index rose 0.12% to 3,748.
