Kuala lumpur:<Text>
Bursa Malaysia's key index experienced a 0.63 per cent rise, reflecting a positive trend in major Asian markets. The rally in technology stocks played a significant role in lifting market sentiment, although geopolitical risks have driven investors to seek stable earnings and dependable cash flows in the Malaysian equity market.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, at 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) advanced by 10.56 points to close at 1,680.32, recovering from Friday's close of 1,669.76. The index began the day slightly lower at 1,669.08, marking its intraday low, before gaining momentum to reach a high of 1,681.94 by mid-morning, moving steadily toward the close.
The market demonstrated positive breadth throughout the day, with 641 gainers outpacing 455 losers. Meanwhile, 534 counters remained unchanged, 1,025 were untraded, and 17 were suspended. Turnover improved significantly to 2.53 billion units valued at RM2.40 billion, compared to 2.08 billion units valued at RM1.80 billion last Friday.
Mohd Sedek Jantan, director of investment strategy and country economist at IPPFA Sdn Bhd, noted that the key index trended higher, aligning broadly with regional equity markets and erasing the previous session's losses. He highlighted that trading activity improved, with volume rising above two billion shares, although it remained below the long-term daily average of around three billion shares, indicating selective risk-taking.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd's vice-president of equity research, Thong Pak Leng, observed that the benchmark index remains in a healthy uptrend, supported by strong buying from local institutions. He noted that as long as the index stays above the 1,630 to 1,640 support band, the broader bullish structure remains intact. A decisive breakout above the 1,680 to 1,690 zone, accompanied by stronger market participation, would confirm renewed momentum and potentially pave the way for advance ment toward the psychological 1,700 level.
Among heavyweight stocks, Maybank gained 12 sen to RM10.56, CIMB Group added 14 sen to RM8.24, Public Bank increased by seven sen to RM4.56, while Tenaga Nasional decreased by four sen to RM13.74. On the most active list, Tanco remained unchanged at RM1.18, Insights Analytics rose 33 sen to RM1.46, and Zetrix AI fell half-a-sen to 80.5 sen.
In terms of sector performance, the Financial Services Index increased by 239.03 points to 19,829.03, while the Energy Index edged up slightly. The Industrial Products and Services Index and the Plantation Index also saw gains. The Main Market volume rose to 1.39 billion units worth RM2.09 billion, compared to the previous session's figures.
Overall, the market saw increased activity across various sectors, with consumer products and services, industrial products and services, construction, and technology counters showing significant trading volumes.
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