KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 11): The FBM KLCI fell 0.15% today amid lack of fresh buying impetus to whet investors' appetite, while markets in the region were mostly mixed.

At 5pm, the benchmark index fell 2.82 points or 0.15% to close at 1,825.11 points.

A remisier told TheEdge Markets.com that the index lacked leading indicators, and said the market fell in line with the Chinese and Singaporean markets.

“The KLCI was up earlier in the day due to a stronger close by US markets, but the lower oil price and a weaker ringgit may have dampened the index. Overall however, there is a lack of leading indicators for the KLCI,” he said.

Bursa Malaysia saw some 2.25 billion shares exchanged, valued at RM1.86 billion. Decliners outnumbered gainers at 625 against 241, while 267 counters were unchanged.

The top loser was British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Bhd, while Danainfra Nasional Bhd was the top gainer. Xinghe Holdings Bhd was the most actively-traded stock, with 85.8 million shares having changed hands.

Markets across the region were mixed, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng up 0.22%, Japan’s Nikkei rising 2.05%, while Singapore’s STI was down 0.23%.

According to Reuters, Japanese shares outperformed in Asia on Tuesday, with the Nikkei stock average rising to a seven-year high as speculators snapped up futures and call options, as they wagered that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may postpone a planned sales tax increase.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan wavered between positive and negative territory, and was last down about 0.2%.