KUALA LUMPUR: Blue chips slipped in early Thursday trade, the last day of the pandemic-ridden 2020 which sent the global economy into a recession. At 9.14am, the KLCI was down 4.51 points or 0.27% to 1,639.90. Turnover was 511.06 million shares valued at RM237.94mil. There were 242 gainers, 272 losers and 389 counters unchanged. Bloomberg reported the dollar continued its slide early Thursday, weakening to the lowest in 2 1/2 years. S&P 500 Index futures edged up, while Australian stocks drifted lower, with curtailed trading in Asian markets on the last day of 2020. Markets in Japan and South Korea are shut. New Zealand shares dropped. U.S. stocks climbed, with small-cap shares outperforming. Bitcoin extended its record-breaking rally to surpass US$29,000.