Kuala lumpur: Bursa Malaysia closed at its intraday low on Thursday, tracking weaker regional sentiment despite optimism on Malaysia’s strategic policy vision under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) announcement. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim tabled the 13MP at the Dewan Rakyat sitting today.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, at 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 11.25 points or 0.74 percent due to late selling to settle at 1,513.25 from Wednesday’s close of 1,524.50. The benchmark index opened slightly firmer at 1,523.99 and reached its peak at 1,524.05 in the early session before trending downwards for the rest of the day. Despite this, the broader market saw gainers outnumbering losers 545 to 475, with 483 counters unchanged, 992 untraded, and 53 suspended.
Turnover saw a notable increase to 3.77 billion units worth RM3.10 billion, up from 2.65 billion units worth RM2.07 billion the previous day. The local index’s decline mirrored the negative tone across key regional markets. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index dropped 1.60 percent to 24,773.33, Singapore’s Straits Times Index decreased 1.06 percent to 4,173.77, South Korea’s Kospi dipped 0.28 percent to 3,245.44, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.02 percent to 41,069.82.
UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors Sdn Bhd’s head of investment research, Mohd Sedek Jantan, noted that the Bursa Malaysia Technology Index rebounded sharply after three consecutive sessions of decline. He attributed this recovery to renewed investor optimism following Anwar’s presentation of Malaysia’s strategic policy vision under the 13MP. The plan aims to lay the foundation for the country’s medium-term economic transformation, focusing on inclusive growth, environmental sustainability, and technological innovation.
Mohd Sedek also highlighted that investors were awaiting clarity ahead of the United States trade tariff negotiations deadline. He pointed out that market sentiment remains fragile, with uncertainty surrounding US trade policy under President Donald Trump’s expected announcement either today or tomorrow. Investors are also watching for possible extensions to the current tariff negotiation deadline, the imposition of new tariffs on Malaysia, and potential revisions or reversals of existing tariff arrangements.
Among the heavyweights, Maybank lost six sen to RM9.39, Public Bank fell eight sen to RM4.21, Tenaga Nasional dropped 26 sen to RM13.02, CIMB remained flat at RM6.55, while IHH Healthcare gained two sen to RM6.65. Active counters included Pharmaniaga, which went up 1.5 sen to 17.5 sen, and Zetrix AI, which added 3.5 sen to 88 sen.
Top gainers included Malaysian Pacific Industries, which increased by 74 sen to RM20.14, and Nestle, which climbed 68 sen to RM88.08. Conversely, top losers were Hong Leong Bank, which dipped 30 sen to RM19, and Petronas Chemicals, which erased 19 sen to RM3.88.
Across the broader market, the FBM Emas Index shaved 35.06 points to 11,400.47, while the FBM 70 Index rose 114.91 points to 16,604.61. By sector, the Industrial Products and Services Index inched down 1.75 points to 159.14, while the Energy Index was 4.63 points higher at 748.34.
The Main Market volume expanded to 1.94 billion units valued at RM2.77 billion, and the ACE Market volume rose to 404.93 million units worth RM124.64 million from the previous day. Consumer products and services counters accounted for 259.94 million shares traded on the Main Market, with significant activity also noted in industrial products and services, technology, and healthcare sectors.