Accra:Bursa Malaysia The key index of Bursa Malaysia fell, ending a four-day winning streak, as profit-taking in selected heavyweight stocks led to a lower close on Thursday. This decline mirrored losses in regional markets and Wall Street.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq decreased by 1.1% and 1.9%, respectively, while the Dow Jones dipped by a marginal 0.1%. In Asia, the Hang Seng Index dropped 1.03% to 24,062.72, the STI Index fell 0.37% to 5,403.50, the KOSPI Composite Index slipped 7.57% to 5,554.22, and the Nikkei 225 shed 4.90% to 64,425.95.
At the close of trading, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) was down by 4.02 points, or 0.24%, to 1,623.70, compared to Wednesday's close of 1,627.72. The index opened 2.62 points lower at 1,625.10 and fluctuated between 1,617.14 and 1,625.61 throughout the session.
Market breadth was negative with 852 decliners against 294 gainers, while 485 counters remained unchanged, 1,212 were untraded, and 9 were suspended. Turnover decreased to 3.06 billion units worth RM3.03 billion, compared to 3.25 billion units worth RM3.03 billion on the previous day.
Mohd Sedek Jantan, director of investment strategy and country economist at IPPFA Sdn Bhd, noted that the sell-off on Wall Street had affected Asian markets, as investors reassessed AI-related capital expenditures and the earnings outlook in the semiconductor sector. These factors have increased vulnerability in technology valuations amid concerns about growth expectations.
Looking ahead, the FBM KLCI is expected to remain sensitive to global equity movements. The sustainability of its recent recovery will depend on domestic demand, foreign fund flows, and sentiment in the technology sector.
Among major stocks, Maybank rose by ten sen to RM10.08, Public Bank fell by one sen to RM4.74, CIMB decreased by two sen to RM7.48, and Tenaga Nasional remained unchanged at RM12.98. IHH Healthcare declined by three sen to RM7.98.
In active trading, Zetrix AI added one sen to 6.5 sen. Top Glove and VS Industry each lost one sen to 90 sen and 33 sen, respectively. Dagang Nexchange slipped 2.5 sen to 44.5 sen, and Nationgate Holdings fell seven sen to RM2.0.
Top gainers included Nestle, which increased by 38 sen to RM90.50, and Petronas Gas, which rose by 32 sen to RM17.60. Batu Kawan Bhd added 20 sen to RM19.40, while Fraser and Neave gained 16 sen to RM20.10. Itmax System was up by 12 sen to RM4.75.
Top losers were Malaysian Pacific Industries, which fell RM1.60 to RM40.40, UMS Integration, which lost 66 sen to RM7.67, and UWC Bhd, which declined by 55 sen to RM7.18. Vitrox Corporation and MI Technovation each dropped 32 sen to RM10.32 and RM6.38, respectively.
On the index board, the FBM Mid 70 Index decreased by 205.15 points to 17,239.73, the FBM Emas Shariah Index fell by 102.81 points to 12,002.54, and the FBM Emas Index lost 69.08 points to 12,073.52. The FBM Top 100 Index declined by 58.17 points to 11,875.86, while the FBM ACE Index slipped 144.35 points to 5,310.90.
Sector-wise, the Industrial Products and Services Index fell 3.69 points to 176.92, and the Plantation Index lost 53.10 points to 8,843.87. The Energy Index was lower by 5.18 points at 822.87, while the Financial Services Index increased slightly by 2.21 points to 18,826.64.
Main Market volume declined to 1.75 billion units worth RM2.70 billion from 1.81 billion units worth RM2.60 billion the day before. Warrant turnover rose to 846.48 million units worth RM117.72 million from 808.38 million units worth RM105.78 million. ACE Market volume fell to 454.44 million units, valued at RM206.24 million, from 628.65 million units, valued at RM325.60 million.
Bursa Malaysia Bhd announced a name change from Omesti Bhd to Tegra Bhd, and from Omesti Berhad - Warrants D 2025/2030 to Tegra Berhad - Warrants D 2025/2030, effective from 9 am on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. The company's stock codes remain unchanged.
Additionally, Bursa Malaysia announced the transfer of SMRT Holdings Bhd's shares from the ACE Market to the Main Market under the Technology sector, effective Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 9.00 am. The stock short name and stock number remain unchanged SMRT and 0117, respectively.