SHARE prices on Bursa Malaysia were lower at mid-afternoon today as investors reacted to the US Federal Reserves decision to keep its interest rate unchanged, dealers said.

At 3.00pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (FBM KLCI) fell 0.34 of a point to 1,253.5 after opening 1.22 points lower at 1,252.62.

Dealers said the US Federal Reserve maintained its short-term interest rate at near zero and might not change for the foreseeable future, despite the turnaround in economic activity.

The downtrend on the local bourse was also in line with the overnight slide on Wall Street, they said.

At mid-afternoon, the FBM Emas Index dropped 4.57 points to 8,391.33, the FBM Top 100 was 5.51 points lower at 8,179.15 and the FBM 70 declined 18.58 points to 8,124.69 but the FBM ACE Index rose 88.96 points to 4,569.75.

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