KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session with minimal change, reflecting cautious sentiments amid a lack of catalysts.
At 12:30pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) registered a marginal 0.01 per cent increase to 1,442.17 from Friday's closing of 1,441.97.
The key index began 0.65 of a point lower at 1,441.32 and fluctuated between 1,440.40 and 1,443.30 throughout the session.
Market breadth showed positive dynamics, with gainers outnumbering decliners at 406 to 383, while 387 counters remained unchanged, 1,155 were not traded, and 23 were suspended.
The total turnover amounted to 2.31 billion units valued at RM1.32 billion.
Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd said the FBM KLCI extended the decline with the profit taking activities persisting on heavyweights.
"Wall Street rose as jobs data came in above consensus expectations, where non-farm payroll added 199,000 jobs in November versus estimates of 180,000.
"Although it pushes back the potential rate cut from March to May 2024, the jobs data has shifted the narrative towards a soft landing, which is helping the overall market sentiment," it said in a note today.
Malacca Securities also said they are expecting buying interest to emerge on the local front, especially after NVIDIA president Jensen Huang's visit to Malaysia.
"On the commodity markets, the Brent oil prices rebounded for the second session after a five-day losing streak amid demand concerns," it added.