KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 -- Bursa Malaysia ended on a softer note, with the benchmarik index extending its decline to a fourth consecutive day, and falling by nearly 2.0 per cent cumulatively over the period, as investors adopted a defensive stance amid escalating geopolitical conflict in West Asia.

At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 3.97 points to 1,676.86  from Monday's close of 1,680.83.

The benchmark index opened 3.22 points higher at 1,684.05 and moved between 1,673.14 and 1,687.60 throughout the day.

In the broader market, losers outnumbered gainers 538 to 343, while 632 counters were unchanged, 1,134 untraded and 11 suspended.

Turnover shrank to 2.55 billion units worth RM2.58 billion from Monday's 2.86 bi...