KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session mixed in sync with its regional peers, as investors digested the United States (US) Federal Reserve's (Fed) decision to maintain its key interest rate on Wednesday, dealers said.

At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) edged up 0.35 of-a-point to 1,576.32 from Tuesday's close of 1,575.97.

The benchmark index opened one point easier at 1,574.97 and moved between 1,574.27 and 1,579.17 throughout the session. 

However, on the broader market, decliners outpaced gainers 554 to 412, while 477 counters were unchanged, 847 untraded and 18 others suspended. 

Turnover amounted to 2.36 billion units worth RM1.45 billion.

A dealer said Bursa Malaysia opened easier today before turning mixed at mid-morning as the barometer index moved into the positive territory, supported by buying in selected heavyweights led by banking sector stocks, while decliners surpassed gainers on the broader market.

ActivTrades trader Anderson Alves noted that Fed chair Jerome Powell had highlighted the central bank's intention to maintain its current policy level for a prolonged period, downplaying the possibility of imminent rate hikes.

"As traders evaluate the Fed's recent policy direction, the focus shifts to forthcoming economic indicators, including the US jobless claims and the pivotal non-farm payrolls data this Friday.

"The Fed speakers' circuit will also garner attention as market participants keenly await insights from other Federal Open Market Committee members regarding the Fed's rate outlook for the coming year after recent notable wage and inflation figures," he said

Regionally, Japan's Nikkei 225 edged down 0.06 per cent to 38,251.03, South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.15 per cent to 2,688.06, and China's SSE Composite Index slid by 0.26 per cent to 3,104.82.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 2.21 per cent to 18,155.28 and Singapore's Straits Times Index gained 0.27 per cent to 3,301.82. 

Back home, heavyweights Maybank added five sen to RM9.78, CIMB and Tenaga Nasional gained two sen each to RM6.63 and RM11.98, respectively, while Public Bank shed two sen to RM4.10 and IHH Healthcare lost four sen to RM6.29.

As for the actives, MyEG slid two sen to 91.5 sen, Iconic Worldwide warrant and Binapuri eased half-a-sen each to four sen and seven sen, respectively, Velesto shed one sen to 26 sen while Top Glove was flat at 88 sen.

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index gained 2.87 points to 11,875.13, the FBMT 100 Index edged up 0.99 of-a-point to 11,503.72, the FBM Emas Shariah Index perked 4.8 points to 12,090.74 and the FBM ACE Index inched up 0.67 of-a-point to 5,077.37, while the FBM 70 Index slipped 5.01 points to 16,616.24.

Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index advanced 24.32 points to 17,238.47, the Plantation Index added 7.16 points to 7,443.92 and the Industrial Products and Services Index bagged 0.34 points to 189.48, while the Energy Index gave up 14.33 points to 961.33.

 - Bernama