KUALA LUMPUR: Blue chips managed to eke out marginal gains at the midday break on Tuesday while the broader market showed some improvement with glove makers advancing.

       At 12.30pm, the KLCI was up just 0.97 of a point or 0.06% to 1, 545.68. Turnover was 2.93 billion shares valued at RM1.33bil. The broader market improved with 453 gainers to 386 losers and 434 counters unchanged.

       Reuters reported China stocks fell as investors booked profit after a rally, with financial and consumer firms leading the retreat. The CSI300 index fell 1.3% to 5, 185.65 by the end of the morning session, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 1.0% to 3, 572.27.

       Beleaguered Serba Dinamik perked up slightly in very active trade while SCIB and KPower advanced.

       Serba Dinamik, whose share price has been hammered in recent weeks, edged up 1.5 sen to 34 sen with 597.23 million shares done. Its warrants were flat at eight sen with 122.27 million units traded.

       SCIB rose three sen to 48.5 sen with 55 million shares done while KPower added 4.5 sen to 67 sen and its warrantsadvanced two sen to 17.5 sen.

       Nestcon, which was listed on the ACE Market on Tuesday, added five sen to 33 sen. Its offer price was 28 sen. There were 243.03 million shares done at prices ranging from 30 sen 37 sen.

       Genetec was the top gainer, surging 20.5% or RM1.48 to RM8.68 after a positive outlook report by analysts.

       MPI gained 78 sen to RM39.44, Greatec and Dufu 13 sen each to RM5.74 and RM4.55 but Vitrox lost 22 sen to RM14.70.

       Glove makers advanced, with Hartalega up 16 sen to RM7.46, Careplus 14 sen to RM1.76, Comfort 13 sen to RM2.03, Adventa and Kossan 12 sen each to RM1.43 and RM3.32 while Rubberex rose six sen to 90 sen and Top Glove four sen to RM4.27.

       OMH fell 11 sen to RM3.01 with 134, 300 shares done.

       Among the KLCI stocks, KL Kepong rose 10 sen to RM20.44, Sime Darby six sen to RM2.19, Telekom five sen to RM6.10, IHH three sen to RM5.65.

       Petronas Chemicals fell the most among the KLCI stocks, down five sen to RMM8.07 while GentingM lost four sen to RM2.82.

       Among the banks, RHB Bank lost three sen to RM5.39, CIMB two sen to RM4.59, Maybank and Public Bank one sen each to RM8.13 and RM4.14.

       Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin unveiled the RM150bil Pemulih economic stimulus package on Monday.

       Among the measures announced were the availability of moratorium for six months to all individual loan (B40, M40 and T20) and SME borrowers commencing July 7.

       “We understand that approval of moratorium for consumer loans will now be automatic while that for SME loans will be subjected to individual banks’ assessments, ” AmInvest Research said.