KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia opened lower Friday on profit-taking, reflecting the downtrend seen in Wall Street's performance overnight.
At 9.24 am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) was almost flat, down 0.29 points to 1,552.95 compared to Thursday's closing at 1,553.24.
The broader market was negative, as losers led gainers 349 to 208, while 355 counters remained unchanged.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice president Thong Pak Leng said the overall sentiment may be negatively affected today.
"We expect a cautious trading atmosphere, resulting in the index remaining within the range of 1,550 to 1,560 today," he added.
On the global front, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) dropped by 530 points, and the Nasdaq fell by 228 points, with the US 10-year yield closing slightly lower at 4.30 per cent.
The Hong Kong market was shut yesterday due to a public holiday.