KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia maintained its upward momentum throughout the trading session today, closing off its day’s high due to persistent buying in selected heavyweights led by financial services counters. This performance was in line with mostly upbeat trends in regional bourses.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, CIMB and Public Bank contributed significantly to the benchmark index gains, adding 16 sen and 7.0 sen to RM8.38 and RM4.45, respectively, with a combined contribution of 5.21 points. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 7.67 points or 0.48 percent to 1,597.45 from Friday’s close of 1,589.78, moving between 1,588.46 and 1,609.29 during the session. However, the broader market was negative with decliners outnumbering gainers 540 to 501.
UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors head of investment research Mohd Sedek Jantan noted that the FBM KLCI briefly broke above the psychological level of 1,600 during the trading session. Gains were primarily led by utilities and financial stocks, rebo
unding after last week’s profit-taking. This trend was reflected across Bursa Malaysia’s sectoral indices, especially the Utilities Index and Financial Services Index. Investors remained cautious, monitoring corporate earnings and geopolitical risks, particularly the Ukraine-Russia conflict and potential tariff policies from President-elect Donald Trump.
Among other heavyweights, Maybank rose 10 sen to RM10.30, Tenaga Nasional improved 4.0 sen to RM14.04, and Hong Leong Bank added 40 sen to RM20.88. Meanwhile, IHH Healthcare and CelcomDigi saw marginal declines. Active stocks like Sunway, YTL Corp, and Maxis experienced gains, while CN Asia saw a slight decrease.
Sector-wise, the Industrial Products and Services Index eased 0.39 of-a-point to 172.89, while the Plantation Index lost 36.87 points to 7,501.65. The Energy Index and the Financial Services Index showed strong performances, bagging 9.36 points and surging 251.96 points, respectively. The Main Market volume advanced to 1.85 billion units worth RM5.
16 billion, with significant activity in consumer products and services, industrial products and services, and financial services counters.