Malaysian share prices closed flat on Tuesday in quiet trade amid an absence of market-stimulating leads and following another poor lead from Wall Street overnight, dealers said.
They said the performance was also in line with markets elsewhere in the region which are consolidating on recent gains.
"Bargain hunting on selected key index-linked counters and the lower liners pushed the key index higher, but investor confidence is still fragile and this can be seen from profit taking activities," a local brokerage dealer said.
The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index was up 0.99 points, or 0.11 percent, at 886.47. Volume was 294.45 million shares, worth 667.78 million ringgit (180 million dollars) and losers outnumbered gainers 345 to 296.
The ringgit was traded at 3.7808 to the US dollar.
Among blue chips, Tenaga Nasional was up 0.05 ringgit at 9.65 on investor hopes of a tariff hike increase, with interest supported by the stock's limited downside risks, dealers said.
Telekom Malaysia and Malayan Banking were both flat at 9.15 and 11.30.