Kuala lumpur: Bursa Malaysia's key index closed higher, supported by sustained foreign fund inflows and improving domestic macroeconomic fundamentals. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 9.26 points, or 0.54 per cent, to close at 1,731.45 from Thursday's close of 1,722.19. The benchmark index opened 2.33 points weaker at 1,719.86, and moved between 1,719.56 and 1,735.67 throughout the day.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, on the broader market, decliners led gainers 690 to 413, while 550 counters were unchanged, 1,082 untraded, and 12 suspended. Turnover eased to 3.44 billion units valued at RM3.04 billion from 3.68 billion units valued at RM2.80 billion on Thursday. IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan stated that the country's softer inflation has strengthened the outlook for consumer spending, while the overnight policy rate, maintained at 2.75 per cent, continues to provide a stable financing environment, supporting business expansion and investment activities.
The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) announced that Malaysia's economy expanded by 5.8 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, following the 5.4 per cent growth in the preceding quarter. This performance was supported by growth in almost all economic sectors, except for the agriculture sector, which saw a contraction. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng highlighted that escalating geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran dampened overall risk appetite, with renewed attacks across the Gulf pushing oil prices sharply higher amid concerns over disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea export routes.
Thong advises caution despite today's gains, as heightened geopolitical risks and volatility in global technology stocks could continue to weigh on market sentiment. He noted that the local market is expected to remain relatively resilient, supported by sustained foreign buying and continued interest in banking and defensive heavyweights. Among heavyweight counters, Maybank gained 16 sen to RM11.20, while Public Bank rose five sen to RM5.25, and CIMB jumped 12 sen to RM7.82.
In terms of active stocks, Tanco added 1.5 sen to 33.5 sen, Zetrix AI rose half a sen to 74.5 sen, while Nationgate lost eight sen to RM1.09. VS Industry fell half a sen to 23 sen, and Dagang Nexchange dropped 2.5 sen to 44 sen. Among the top gainers, Nestle rose 44 sen to RM92.44, Hong Leong Bank gained 42 sen to RM22.44, and Hong Leong Industries grew 18 sen to RM18.60. Genting Plantations and Padini rose 17 sen each to RM5.70 and RM1.59, respectively.
For the top losers, Malaysian Pacific Industries fell RM2.08 to RM43.20, United Plantations dropped 40 sen to RM34.60, and Vitrox lost 38 sen to RM7.28. Kelington was 33 sen weaker at RM7.50, and SAM Engineering tumbled 29 sen to RM4.48. Among the broader indices, the FBM Emas Shariah Index lost 38.80 points to 12,482.47, the FBM 70 Index dipped 128.58 points to 17,774.92, and the FBM ACE Index edged down 35.96 points to 4,879.15.
The FBM Emas Index gained 19.87 points to 12,719.09, and the FBMT 100 Index garnered 27.95 points to 12,557.56. Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index leapt 224.53 points to 20,535.36, and the Plantation Index gained 10 points to 9,483.77. The Industrial Products and Services Index slid 1.20 points to 186.73, and the Energy Index eased 3.61 points to 766.28.
The Main Market volume narrowed to 1.65 billion units valued at RM2.72 billion compared with 1.85 billion units valued at RM2.45 billion on Thursday. Warrant turnover was slightly higher at 1.28 billion units worth RM152.59 million versus 1.21 billion units worth RM151.75 million previously. The ACE Market volume fell to 504.91 million units valued at RM171.06 million from 615.64 million units valued at RM191.99 million yesterday.
Consumer products and services counters accounted for 175.03 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (343.83 million), construction (151.85 million), technology (253.50 million), financial services (113.77 million), property (335.99 million), plantation (31.53 million), real estate investment trusts (16.95 million), closed-end fund (374,100), energy (93.83 million), healthcare (46.61 million), telecommunications and media (20.08 million), transportation and logistics (25.97 million), utilities (48.42 million), and business trusts (30,100).