KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI vacillated between gains and losses in early trade before closing higher on Tuesday.

       At 5pm, the benchmark index closed up 3.6 points, or 0.23% to 1,548.31. after moving between an intra-day high of 1,549.26 and a low of 1,541.72.

       In the broader market, there were 510 gainers against 432 losers while 465 counters unchanged. About 4.79 billion shares, valued at RM2.63bil, changed hands.

       Among the KLCI-component stocks, there were 15 closed higher while 11 counters fell.

       Dealers said some bargain hunting activities emerged after the heavy selldown yesterday but market sentiment remained cautious.

       Regional sentiment was weak as most markets ended lower. Oil prices dropped for a second day on worries about slower fuel demand growth

       Brent crude fell 69 cents, or 0.92% to US$73.99 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 83 cents, or 1.14% to US$72.08 per barrel.

       On Bursa Malaysia, Genetec surged RM1.81 to RM9.01, MPI added 34 sen to RM39, Nestle gained 30 sen to RM133.30 and Kumpulan H & L High-Tech rose 24 sen to RM2.24.

       Among the glove makers, Hartalega added 19 sen to RM7.49, Careplus gained 15 sen to RM1.77 and Top Glove climbed seven sen to RM4.30.

       Supermax, Kossan and Adventa rose 15 sen each to RM3.48, RM3.35 and RM1.46 respectively.

       Petronas Dagangan lost 12 sen to RM18.98, Genting Malaysia fell seven sen to RM2.79, Petronas Chemicals declined six sen to RM8.06 and RHB Bank lost five sen to RM5.37.

       Elsewhere in the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index fell 0.5%.

       Japan’s Nikkei 225 0.81% to 28,812.61, while South Korea’s Kospi closed down 15.21 points, or 0.46%, at 3,286.68.

       China’s CSI300 index closed 1.2% lower at 5,190.54 while the Shanghai Composite Index shed 0.9% to 3,573.18.