KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI maintained a downward trajevtory over the morning session as profit-taking continued following a sell-off on Wall Street overnight.

       At 12.30pm the benchmark index was down 4.44 points to 1,591.26 amid a negative market breath of 429 decliners to 262 gainers.

       Leading decliners on the market included Sime Darby Plantation falling 21 sen to RM5.09 and IHH dropping eight sen to RM6.44.

       Maybank slipped three sen to RM8.80, CIMB shed three sen to RM5.10 and Hong Leong Bank lost four sen to RM20.68.

       Among actives, Datasonic gained 3.5 sen to 53 sen, KGroup was flat at one sen and Tanco was down eight sen to 35.5 sen.

       Most Asian markets were also weighed down by the selling in US markets.

       Japan's Nikkei slid 0.3%, South Korea's Kospi fell 0.7%, China's composite index dropped 0.6%.

       Meanwhile, the Hong Kong and Australia stock exchanges were closed for Good Friday.