Kuala Lumpur:Bursa Malaysia ended the trading session lower on Thursday due to persistent selling pressure, influenced by a mixed and cautious performance on Wall Street overnight.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) dropped 20.81 points, or 1.26 percent, closing at 1,630.36, down from the previous day's close of 1,651.17. The index opened slightly weaker at 1,649.87 and fluctuated between 1,630.10 and 1,649.87 throughout the day.
The market trend showed a negative breadth, with 750 decliners outpacing 342 gainers, while 495 counters remained unchanged, 1,186 were untraded, and 12 were suspended. Turnover decreased to 3.1 billion units valued at RM2.7 billion, compared to 3.63 billion units worth RM3.62 billion on Wednesday.
Mohd Sedek Jantan, the director of investment strategy and country economist at IPPFA Sdn Bhd, noted that the sentiment was cautious, exacerbated by weaker domestic manufacturing activity and continued foreign selling. He highlighted that softer manufacturing momentum and global portfolio rotation exerted pressure on the benchmark index, despite domestic institutional demand providing some balance against foreign outflows.
The S and P Global Malaysia Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) slightly dipped below the neutral 50.0 mark, reaching 49.9 in September from 50.2 in August. This marks the first decline in four months following a period of improvement. Regionally, the S and P Global ASEAN Manufacturing PMI decreased to 52.1 in September from 52.3 in August.
In terms of specific stocks, Maybank fell four sen to RM9.95, Public Bank lost three sen to RM4.67, and CIMB dropped 10 sen to RM7.69. Tenaga Nasional declined six sen to RM12.90, while IHH Healthcare erased 13 sen to RM7.70.
Among active trades, Zetrix AI firmed half a sen to 16.5 sen, VS Industry dipped one sen to 27 sen, and Jaks Resources slipped 2.5 sen to 18 sen. ACE Market debutant GB Bond slumped 4.5 sen to 20.5 sen, with HHRG gaining half a sen to 16.5 sen.
Top gainers included Malaysian Pacific Industries, which surged 72 sen to RM41.12, Ayer Holdings rising 20 sen to RM7.70, and Riverview Rubber Estates advancing 12 sen to RM3.02. Dutch Lady Malaysia Industries added 10 sen to RM30, while Vitrox gained nine sen to RM10.
Among the biggest losers, Kuala Lumpur Kepong dropped 78 sen to RM21.42, Allianz Malaysia gave up 62 sen to RM21.00, and United Plantations fell 60 sen to RM30.96. Fraser and Neave, along with Hong Leong Industries, both slipped 32 sen to RM21.42 and RM16.14, respectively.