KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLC pared losses headed into the lunch break following broad-based profit-taking acvitiy earlier in the day.

       At 12.30pm, the key index was down 5.68 points to 1,541.14. However, market breadth remained overwhelmingly negative with 618 decliners over 273 gainers.

       Certain blue chips bounced higher over the morning, including Petronas Chemicals, which rose 10 sen to RM8.75 on the back of firmer crude oil prices.

       Petrons Gas was also up four sen to RM4.39 while aluminium producer Press Metal rose two sen to RMRM5.79.

       Financial counters remained wobby as Maybank drifted two sen lower to RM8.08 and Public Bank edged one sen lower to RM4.10.

       Hong Leong Bank however gained 12 sen to RM18.84 and CIMB added four sen to RM4.78.

       Crude palm oil, which had rallied over the previous week, was seen drifting sideways over the past three session. At midday, the commodity was 0.7% lower at RM4,654 per metric tonne, leading to some profit-taking in plantation plays.

       Sime Darby Plantaion was one sen lower at RM3.60 while Kuala Lumpur Kepong slid six sen to RM20.20.

       On the broader market, top-active CEKD continued to attract strong buying interest on its debut on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia.

       The die-cutting solutions provider was up nine sen to 57 sen, off its intra-day high of 62 sen, on the back of 85.43 million shares traded.

       DNeX was down 2.5 sen ot 78 sen and Encorp rose three senn to 62.5 sen.

       Asian markets fell on Wednesday following the rout on Wall Street overnight amid concerns over the tapering of US asset purchases as well as stuck negotations over the US debt ceiling.

       Japan's Nikkei dove 2.4% while China's composite index dropped 1.8%

       Hong Kong's Hang Seng slid 0.5%, South Korea's Kospi dropped 2% and Australia's ASX200 lost 1%.