Kuala Lumpur: Bursa Malaysia ended lower for the fourth consecutive day, aligning with the weak performance of regional markets due to concerns over the trade war. This follows the United States’ confirmation of imposing tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China, effective today.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, at 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) decreased by 15.73 points or 1.0 per cent to close at 1,555.66, down from the previous day’s close of 1,571.39. The market opened 9.69 points lower at 1,561.70, fluctuating between 1,555.04 and 1,564.26 throughout the day.

The broader market saw 840 decliners against 140 gainers, while 514 counters remained unchanged, 837 were untraded, and six were suspended. Turnover increased to 3.81 billion units valued at RM3.04 billion, compared to 3.18 billion units worth RM2.44 billion yesterday.

Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd’s vice-president of equity research, Thong Pak Leng, noted that recent disappointing US economic reports have also impacted market sentiment. Regional investors are closely monitoring the National People’s Congress meeting in Beijing, which begins on Wednesday, in anticipation of economic stimulus measures from China.

Thong added that local investors are staying on the sidelines, seeking new market drivers, with the benchmark index expected to trade sideways. He suggested maintaining caution and focusing on large-cap stocks such as banks, plantations, and retail real estate investment trusts (REITs) for their solid dividend yields. Thong anticipates the benchmark index to fluctuate between 1,550 and 1,580 for the rest of the week.

UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors Sdn Bhd’s head of investment research, Mohd Sedek Jantan, stated that the FBM KLCI’s decline aligns with regional indices as investors adopt a risk-off stance following the new tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. He mentioned that the move has heightened concerns over escalating global trade tensions, affecting market sentiment.

Significant losses were observed in growth sectors during today’s trade, with the Bursa Malaysia technology index declining by 4.7 per cent, indicating increased investor caution amid ongoing macroeconomic uncertainties.

Among heavyweights, Maybank dropped 8.0 sen to RM10.60, Public Bank fell 3.0 sen to RM4.53, CIMB remained flat at RM8.00, Tenaga Nasional decreased by 10 sen to RM13.60, and IHH Healthcare fell 7.0 sen to RM7.35.

In terms of active stocks, NationGate rose by 15 sen to RM1.45, Ingenieur Gudang decreased half-a-sen to 3.0 sen, while Genting Malaysia and Sime Darby Property both declined by 9.0 sen to RM1.81 and RM1.30, respectively. Velesto Energy eased by 1.0 sen to 16 sen.

The FBM Emas Index fell by 167.02 points to 11,544.87, the FBMT 100 Index dropped 149.22 points to 11,330.15, the FBM Emas Shariah Index lost 184.69 points to 11,163.34, and the FBM ACE Index slid 140.70 points to 4,551.37. The FBM 70 Index tumbled 353.34 points to 16,286.04.

Sector-wise, the Energy Index edged down 20.55 points to 735.0, the Financial Services Index shed 125.68 points to 19,258.35, the Industrial Products and Services Index decreased by 3.44 points to 153.09, and the Plantation Index was 36.68 points lower at 7,483.01.

The Main Market volume increased to 2.07 billion units worth RM2.77 billion from 1.64 billion units worth RM2.19 billion on Monday. Warrants turnover improved to 1.14 billion units valued at RM100.75 million compared to 1.13 billion units worth RM117.87 million previously. The ACE Market volume expanded to 594.95 million units valued at RM173.54 million versus 410.41 million units valued at RM125.43 million yesterday.

Consumer products and services counters accounted for 334.25 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (546.96 million), construction (167.37 million), technology (249.78 million), financial services (83.40 million), property (231.78 million), plantation (38.83 million), REITs (19.76 million), energy (187.85 million), healthcare (79.90 million), telecommunications and media (32.22 million), transportation and logistics (34.20 million), utilities (59.98 million), and business trusts (64,000).