KUALA LUMPUR: Share prices on Bursa Malaysia open marginally lower in early trading Friday, as investors took profits from
yesterday's gain, dealers said.

Eight minutes after the opening bell, the underlying FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) shed 2.64 points to 1,639.88, as compared to 1,635.92 at yesterday's close.

Earlier, the benchmark index opened 1.52 points lower at 1,641.

HwangDBS Vickers Research said after gaining 6.6 points on thin trading volume, the key FBM KLCI may want to hold on to its gains today.

"The benchmark index is expected to tread above the 1,635 immediate support line on the chart," it said in a research note.

Plantation counters could be in the limelight with the release of July's plantation statistics at noon today, given that the three-month forward crude palm oil price has slipped below RM2,900 a tonne over the past two days, it said.

The Finance Index dwindled 28.33 points to 14,731.58 and the Plantation Index lost 5.67 points to 8,699.42, while the Industrial Index rose 3.49 points to 2,870.85.

The FBM Emas Index slid 11.98 points to 11,222.5, the FBMT100 Index declined 13.71 points to 11,041.28, the FBM Ace Index was 4.87 points lower at 4,405.88,while FBM70 rose 3.12 points to 12,367.48.

A total of 182.928 million shares worth RM63.055 million were transacted in thin trading.

Actives, Ingens and Ingens-WA rose one sen each to 14.5 sen and 7.5 sen, respectively, while MPay-WA added five sen to 5.5 sen.

Heavyweights, Maybank, CIMB and Petronas Chemicals each lost three sen to RM8.92, RM7.88 and RM6.56, respectively, while Sime Darby was unchanged at RM9.81.-- BERNAMA