KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia ended marginally lower on Tuesday due to profit taking activities ahead of the Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays.
At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 6.47 points or 0.42 per cent to 1,553.51 from yesterday's close of 1,559.98.
The benchmark index opened slightly lower at 1,559.91, down by 0.07 points, and fluctuated between 1,553.43 and 1,565.57 during the trading session.
On the broader market, decliners outnumbered gainers 496 to 466, with 540 counters unchanged.
Turnover fell to 3.46 billion units compared with 3.97 billion units on Monday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said key regional indices trended higher, recuperating from losses experienced last week.
He added however, that gains were limited due in anticipation of key inflation data and further signals regarding US interest rates.
"Investor focus was primarily on US consumer price index (CPI) data for further insights into interest rates, particularly after a strong nonfarm payrolls report led traders to adjust expectations for a rate cut in June.
"On the domestic front, we expect trading to be muted in conjunction of the Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays," he told Business Times.
Thong expects the benchmark to trend sideways with an upside bias within the range of 1,555-1,565 towards the weekend.