Kuala lumpur: Bursa Malaysia ended the trading day on a lower note as investors engaged in profit-taking activities following a recent market rebound, with notable declines observed in telecommunications and industrial stocks.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) dropped 11.02 points, closing at 1,737.15, compared to the previous day's finish of 1,748.17. The benchmark index had initially opened 1.48 points higher at 1,749.65, marking its intraday peak, before hitting a low of 1,733.38 during the afternoon session.

The broader market reflected a decline, with 575 decliners outnumbering 567 advancers, while 573 counters remained unchanged, 1,028 were untraded, and 13 were suspended. Turnover decreased to 3.24 billion units valued at RM2.90 billion, down from 3.89 billion units valued at RM3.80 billion on the previous day.

Mohd Sedek Jantan, director of investment strategy and country economist at IPPFA Sdn Bhd, commented that Asian equities ended lower regionally due to the loss of momentum from the previous session's technology-led rally. This prompted investors to secure gains following a rebound in semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related stocks.

Globally, despite improvements in geopolitical sentiment, buying interest was subdued as investors adopted a cautious approach ahead of the US non-farm payrolls report, a crucial indicator anticipated to influence the Federal Reserve's policy direction. Mohd Sedek highlighted that progress towards a potential US-Iran agreement and softer crude oil prices contributed to easing inflation concerns, while weaker-than-expected US private sector hiring reinforced expectations of a moderating labor market.

Among the heavyweights, Maybank experienced a slight dip of two sen to RM10.80, while Public Bank and CIMB Group decreased by four sen each to RM5.23 and RM7.97, respectively. Tenaga Nasional fell by 18 sen to RM14.48, and IHH Healthcare saw a modest increase of one sen to RM8.33.

Active stocks included Malaysian Resources Corp, which rose by three sen to 34 sen, Zetrix AI, which climbed two sen to 71 sen, and JCY International, which gained six sen to 47 sen. Meanwhile, Steel Hawk decreased by four sen to 14 sen, and Tanco remained flat at 25.5 sen.

In terms of gainers, Malaysian Pacific Industries rose by 72 sen to RM47.66, UWC increased by 31 sen to RM6.79, IJM Corp jumped by 17 sen to RM2.66, and Theta Edge soared by 16 sen to 71 sen. Top losers included Nestle, which dipped by RM1.20 to RM101.30, Hong Leong Industries, which decreased by 34 sen to RM17.68, and Press Metal Aluminium, which lost 32 sen to RM7.99.

The FBM Emas Index declined by 46.49 points to 12,856.02, while the FBM Top 100 Index shrank by 51.66 points to 12,685.28. The FBM Emas Shariah Index slid by 41.09 points to 12,691.54, and the FBM ACE Index eased by 1.51 points to 5,037.75, whereas the FBM Mid 70 Index rose by 48.10 points to 18,326.06.

Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index decreased by 49.32 points to 20,519.85, the Plantation Index fell by 46.15 points to 9,464.55, the Energy Index edged down by 1.82 points to 762.41, and the Industrial Products and Services Index trimmed by 2.46 points to 187.78.

The Main Market volume decreased to 1.60 billion units valued at RM2.58 billion compared to 1.92 billion units valued at RM3.40 billion on the previous day. Warrants turnover narrowed to 1.13 billion units worth RM146.50 million versus 1.29 billion units worth RM174.29 million previously. The ACE Market volume dropped to 498.42 million units valued at RM175.55 million from 658.35 million units valued at RM224.84 million yesterday.

Consumer products and services counters accounted for 162.00 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services for 314.03 million, construction for 141.06 million, technology for 372.09 million, financial services for 58.49 million, property for 273.33 million, plantation for 24.28 million, real estate investment trusts for 17.19 million, closed-end fund for 67,400, energy for 55.10 million, healthcare for 71.22 million, telecommunications and media for 34.90 million, transportation and logistics for 49.32 million, utilities for 30.40 million, and business trusts for 100.