Kuala lumpur: Bursa Malaysia reversed last Friday’s losses to close higher on Monday, tracking gains in regional markets. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) climbed 1.44 points, or 0.09 percent, to 1,537.51 from Friday’s close of 1,536.07. The benchmark had opened 0.10 of a point lower at 1,535.97 and hovered between 1,533.93 and 1,538.33 throughout the session.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the market breadth was negative, with 514 decliners outpacing 432 gainers and 510 counters unchanged, while 962 were untraded and nine suspended. Turnover declined to 2.93 billion shares worth RM1.67 billion, compared with 3.37 billion shares worth RM2.30 billion last Friday.
UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors Sdn Bhd’s head of investment research, Mohd Sedek Jantan, noted that the key index’s positive performance was underpinned by stronger-than-expected trade data from China, where exports rose 5.8 percent year-on-year in June. This was well above the 3.6 percent forecast. The data suggested that Chinese exporters were accelerating shipments ahead of the expiry of the 90-day tariff reprieve, providing some relief to global market sentiment and partially offsetting concerns over Washington’s tariff rhetoric.
Investors are also set to monitor more upcoming data from China, particularly June trade figures and the second-quarter gross domestic product (GDP). The Chinese government is due to release the economic data tomorrow.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng indicated that local market sentiment remains cautious amid ongoing concerns over US tariffs, with investors closely monitoring their implications for ASEAN economies and global supply chains. Despite this, the benchmark index is well-supported above the 1,530 level. While commodity-related stocks saw some selling pressure, sectors such as banking, consumer, and utilities showed resilience.
Thong anticipates the FBM KLCI to trend within the range of 1,530-1,560 for the week. Among the heavyweight counters, Maybank gained three sen to RM9.72, while Public Bank and Tenaga Nasional rose two sen each to RM4.34 and RM13.98, respectively. CIMB and IHH Healthcare both edged up one sen to RM6.69 and RM6.59.
In active trade, NexG gained two sen to 47 sen, Wentel Engineering grew 1.5 sen to 33.5 sen, Malaysian Resources Corporation added half-a-sen to 54 sen, Zetrix AI was 1.5 sen lower at 98.5 sen, and Tanco was flat at 90.5 sen.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index gained 14.88 points to 11,558.46, the FBMT 100 Index expanded 12.30 points to 11,321.04, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index added 8.13 points to 11,560.60. The FBM 70 Index increased 25.85 points to 16,787.20, while the FBM ACE Index improved 33.35 points to 4,571.52.
By sector, the Financial Services Index gained 55.74 points to 17,663.87, the Industrial Products and Services Index shaved 0.22 points to 153.87, and the Plantation Index fell 16.35 points to 7,434.10. The Energy Index inched up 9.76 points to 747.38.
The Main Market volume retreated to 1.13 billion units worth RM1.35 billion from 1.36 billion units valued at RM1.99 billion last Friday. Warrant turnover slipped to 1.46 billion units valued at RM208.01 million from 1.70 billion units worth RM203 million previously. The ACE Market volume increased to 342.18 million units valued at RM113.55 million, versus 318.83 million units worth RM107.58 million on Friday.