KUALA LUMPUR (July 14): The FBM KLCI eked out marginal gains in early trade Tuesday and looked poised to trade muted on profit taking later in the session, tracking the mixed regional markets, following the volatile overnight close at Wall Street.

At 9.05am, the bellwether index added 0.37 points to 1,606.80.

The early gainers included Supermax Corp Bhd, Top Glove Corp Bhd, Supermax-C78, Supermax-C87, Supermax-C89, Supermax-C84, Supermax-C85, Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd as well as Supermax-C82 and C83.

Reuters said Asian shares were showing a mixed picture on Tuesday after a volatile day in U.S. equity markets amid persistent concerns over the record number of new coronavirus cases worldwide and signs of an economic rebound.

Australian S&P/ASX 200 futures lost 0.76% in early trading, Japan's Nikkei 225 futures added 0.22%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index futures rose 0.39%, it said.

Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd in its daily market report said Wall Street finally heeded the severity of Covid-19 in the US as California is reinstating another lockdown.

“As such, the Dow Jones Industrial which was up by over 560 points at one time closed flat at just above the 26,000 mark from heavy late session selling.

“In view of the situation in the US, regional equities may see some profit taking activities today.

“With regards to the local bourse, the FBM KLCI which closed on a 6-month high yesterday may experience some reversal today with the 1,600 level see as the immediate support,” it said.