Kuala lumpur: Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session lower as persistent selling in selected heavyweights continued to dampen market sentiment. At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slipped 3.68 points to 1,735.86, compared with Friday's close of 1,739.54.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the benchmark index opened 1.12 points higher at 1,740.66 and fluctuated between 1,733.06 and 1,741.51 during the morning session. The broader market was negative, with losers outnumbering gainers 444 to 357, while 526 counters remained unchanged. A total of 1,410 counters were untraded, and 11 were suspended. Market turnover reached 1.17 billion shares, valued at RM966.25 million.
In a research note, Hong Leong Investment Bank Bhd indicated that the benchmark index is poised to extend its range-bound consolidation, facing significant resistance around 1,754-1,771. The cautious positioning is attributed to the upcoming Chinese New Year holidays and the February results season, the investment bank explained. It also suggested that any pullback is likely temporary and constructive, reflecting portfolio adjustments rather than fundamental weakness.
Among heavyweights, Maybank decreased by 12 sen to RM11.94, CIMB fell seven sen to RM8.39, IHH Healthcare slipped 10 sen to RM8.73, Public Bank inched up one sen to RM5.05, and Tenaga Nasional added 18 sen to RM14.14. On the most active list, Hong Seng gained half a sen to one sen, Zetrix AI increased by 2.5 sen to 82.5 sen, while 99 Speed Mart lost 25 sen to RM3.70. Tanco rose three sen to RM1.44, and Mega Fortris was up 3.5 sen to 92 sen.
Besides Tenaga Nasional, other top gainers included Nestle, which increased by RM1 to RM110, Malaysian Pacific Industries, climbing 40 sen to RM30.18, MNRB adding 27 sen to RM2.73, Petronas Gas rising 24 sen to RM18.46, and IOI Properties edging up 15 sen to RM3.46. In contrast, top losers included United Plantations, which dropped 38 sen to RM29.80, Batu Kawan, which fell 22 sen to RM19.52, Allianz Malaysia, which slipped 20 sen to RM22.30, and Alliance Bank, which was 18 sen lower at RM5.11.
On the index board, the FBM Top 100 Index shed 21.04 points to 12,543.77, the FBM Emas Index lost 17.41 points to 12,720.79, the FBM Mid 70 Index declined 4.30 points to 17,565.37, while the FBM Emas Shariah Index gained 24.30 points to 12,246.31, and the FBM ACE Index inched up 0.13 of a point to 4,741.80. Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index slumped 143.93 points to 21,379.95, and the Plantation Index edged down 29.69 points to 8,347.24, while the Industrial Products and Services Index was 1.49 points higher at 176.57 and the Energy Index gained 3.16 points to 754.26.