KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI descended into the red in the latter half of morning trade as investors cashed out ahead of the midweek festive holiday.

       At 12.30pm, the key index was down 3.05 points to 1,556.93 after moving in a 10-point range between 1,555.71 and 1,565.57.

       The midday share turnover was 2.08 billion shares valued at RM1.09bil.

       Bank stocks including CIMB, down seven sen to RM6.57, Hong Leong Bank slipping four sen to RM19.38, and Maybank, falling four sen to RM9.65 kept the index under pressure.

       Tenaga Nasional shed 10 sen to RM11.70 while Press Metal slid three sen to RM5.17.

       Of actives, TWL was unchanged at three sen, YTL Power rose three sen to RM4.05 and GDB was up 0.5 sen to 28.5 sen.

       Global economic data has pointed towards a rebound in manufacturing activity, leading to a surge in industrial metals prices.

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       Japan's Nikkei was seen rising alongside the prospect of recovering economic activity, rising 0.8% to 39,651 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.6% to 16,824.

       China's composite index lagged, falling 0.15% to 3,042 while the blue-chip CSI300 dipped 0.25% to 3,527.