Shares on Bursa Malaysia declined on Wednesday, with the smaller and mid sized stocks taking the brunt of the sell-off. At the close, the FBM KLCI Index fell 5.74 points, or 0.48% to 1,180.54 points.

Across the region, investors in China were the worst hit with market measures in Shanghai and Shenzhen down 4%, while in Hong Kong the Hang Seng index tumbled 3%.

In Jakarta, the main market barometer plunged 2%, while key indices in Japan declined 1.4% and in Singapore the Straits Times index fell 1%.