KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia continues to trade lower at midday amid cautious sentiment prevailing in regional markets.
At 12:30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) dipped by 3.44 points or 0.22 per cent to 1,540.31, down from Thursday's closing figure of 1,543.75.
In the broader market, there were more losers than gainers, with losers outnumbering gainers 524 to 370, while 409 stocks remained unchanged.
Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd indicated that although there was a minor decrease in the US, they anticipate continued positive sentiment in the local market, particularly with traders concentrating on stocks related to commodities in the plantation and oil and gas sectors, given the strong performance of underlying commodities.
"We expect the firmer commodity prices should provide support towards stocks on the local front.
"On the commodity markets, Brent oil inched higher above the US$85 per barrel (/bbl) level due to an improved US demand outlook following a higher-than-expected decline in US crude inventories as well as ongoing geopolitical risk," it said.