Kuala Lumpur: Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session higher, lifted by renewed buying interest in selected heavyweight banking and consumer product counters. At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) strengthened by 2.94 points, or 0.20 per cent, to 1,508.39 from Friday’s close of 1,505.45. The benchmark index opened 1.05 points higher at 1,506.50.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, on the broader market, decliners led gainers 522 to 234, while 410 counters were unchanged, 1,260 remained untraded, and 19 were suspended. Turnover stood at 1.85 billion shares worth RM914.83 million. Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd noted potential trading opportunities within the transportation and logistics sector, particularly in container and conventional cargo handling after Westports Holdings Bhd’s significant breakout last Friday. The brokerage highlighted that although there is a proposed delay in the port tariff revision, capital expenditure is expected to drive further growth in the long term.
The brokerage also mentioned that the United States’ recent announcement to impose “maximum pressure” to remove Iran’s oil supply from the global market could tighten global oil supply. Combined with OPEC+’s new plan for oil cuts ranging from 189,000 to 435,000 barrels per day, this is likely to support crude oil prices and generate trading interest within the oil and gas sector.
In terms of individual stock performance, Maybank added 8.0 sen to RM10.26. CIMB Group and IHH Healthcare both climbed 6.0 sen to RM6.91 and RM6.96, respectively. Public Bank remained flat at RM4.49, while Tenaga Nasional was unchanged at RM13.56. Among the active stocks, Pertama Digital and Bina Puri increased by half-a-sen each to 16.5 sen and 33 sen, respectively. Saliran Group fell 1.5 sen to 24 sen, Malayan United Industries eased half-a-sen to 5.5 sen, and Kinergy Advancement remained flat at 32.5 sen.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index slipped 14.60 points to 11,291.19, the FBMT 100 Index fell 7.88 points to 11,053.50, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index declined 27.30 points to 10,999.81. The FBM 70 Index dropped 128.30 points to 16,159.71, and the FBM ACE Index decreased 20.80 points to 4,803.84. Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index slipped 4.66 points to 18,435.17, the Industrial Products and Services Index eased 1.37 points to 152.06, and the Energy Index declined 1.47 points to 750.33. However, the Plantation Index added 14.08 points to reach 7,464.01.