Kuala Lumpur:Bursa Malaysia concluded the trading day on a lower note, aligning with weaker trends in regional markets. This decline was influenced by elevated US Treasury yields and an increase in crude oil prices, which dampened investor sentiment.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell by 21.57 points, closing at 1,611.78, down from the previous day's close of 1,633.35. The index opened slightly higher at 1,633.54, its peak for the day, before hitting a low of 1,610.55 in the afternoon.
Market dynamics showed that losers outnumbered gainers with 663 declines compared to 492 advances, while 508 counters remained unchanged, 1,127 were not traded, and 13 were suspended. The day's turnover decreased to 3.83 billion units valued at RM3.52 billion, compared to 4.18 billion units worth RM2.95 billion in the previous session.
Thong Pak Leng, vice-president of equity research at Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd, noted that Brent crude oil prices surged past US$101 per barrel following Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia, raising concerns about supply disruptions in West Asia. He also pointed out that US 10-year Treasury yields hovered near 5.3%, with 30-year yields above 5.6%, causing investor caution regarding inflation and monetary policies.
Thong further mentioned that local market sentiment is expected to remain cautious after the benchmark index fell below critical support levels of 1,625-1,630. Upcoming domestic events, such as the Budget 2027 announcement, might offer fresh catalysts, but persistent high oil prices, geopolitical tensions, and global bond yields are likely to keep investors on edge.
Among major stocks, Maybank dropped 10 sen to RM9.87, Public Bank fell eight sen to RM4.59, CIMB decreased by 37 sen to RM7.33, Tenaga Nasional shed four sen to RM12.86, and IHH Healthcare reduced by one sen to RM7.90. In active trading, Top Glove declined two sen to 85.5 sen, Zetrix AI fell one sen to eight sen, V.S Industry slipped by half a sen to 32.5 sen, while Supermax Corporation lost 1.5 sen to 44.5 sen, and Metronic Global remained unchanged at half a sen.
Top gainers included Mi Technovation, which climbed 38 sen to RM6.38, Batu Kawan rising 32 sen to RM19.60, Malaysian Pacific Industries up 24 sen to RM45.20, Petronas Dagangan advancing 20 sen to RM19.32, and Gas Malaysia increasing 16 sen to RM5.25.
The index board reflected a mixed performance, with the FBM Mid 70 Index gaining 19.38 points to 17,753.49, while the FBM Emas Index fell 107.92 points to 12,124.95. Other indices such as the FBM Top 100, FBM Emas Shariah, and FBM ACE Index also experienced declines.
Sector-wise, the Industrial Products and Services Index decreased by 0.53 of a point to 179.88, the Financial Services Index dropped 504.68 points to 18,563.32, the Energy Index fell 1.75 points to 838.97, and the Plantation Index slid 66.13 points to 8,976.04.
Main Market volume decreased to 2.40 billion units valued at RM3.15 billion from 2.59 billion units worth RM2.50 billion previously. Meanwhile, warrants turnover increased to 939.82 million units worth RM143.09 million from 932.44 million units worth RM171.80 million. The ACE Market volume also declined to 489.99 million units valued at RM227.12 million from 653.91 million units valued at RM276.54 million in the previous session.