KLCI Off 0.1% In Thin Pre-Holiday Trade; 1535 Support

The KLCI is off 0.1% at 1538.99 in lackluster trade early afternoon as investors stay on the sidelines ahead of Tuesday's holiday, a local dealer says. "Regional market sentiment isn't too good and I don't think players want to take any aggressive positions today," he says. The benchmark is tipped in a 1535-1545 range for the rest of the day. The market breadth is negative with 433 decliners against 233 advancers. Among decliners, Latexx Partners (7064.KU) is down 9.4% at MYR2.41 after a planned buyout by Navis is aborted, Genting (3182.KU) is down 1.9% at MYR11.18 and Hong Leong Bank (5819.KU) is down 1.1% at MYR12.30. On the positive ledger, SP Setia (8664.KU) is up 2.9% at MYR4.20 and Maxis (6012.KU) is up 1.3% at MYR5.54.