Kuala Lumpur: Bursa Malaysia opened slightly lower on profit-taking after recent gains in the local bourse. At 9.05 am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slid 1.62 points to 1,519.97 from the previous day’s close of 1,521.59. The benchmark index had initially dropped 0.61 of-a-point, opening at 1,520.98. Market breadth was negative, with 115 decliners outpacing 105 gainers. A total of 219 counters were unchanged, 2,001 untraded, and 117 suspended. Turnover stood at 85.49 million shares, valued at RM35.33 million.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd’s equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng noted that Bursa Malaysia closed at an intra-day high the previous day, marking its fourth consecutive session of gains. Investors are now engaging in profit-taking activities following the recent rise in the bourse.
Meanwhile, Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd indicated that traders would be monitoring the United States (US) job openings and labour turnover survey (JOLTS) for March and the Conference Board consumer confidence for April to determine market movement. Wall Street ended marginally higher on Monday as investors considered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s comments on trade negotiations progress with Asian countries, including South Korea, India, and Japan. Investors are also anticipating earnings reports from major companies such as Microsoft and Meta on Wednesday, followed by Apple and Amazon on Thursday.
Among the heavyweights, Maybank shed one sen to RM9.98, while Public Bank and Tenaga Nasional dropped two sen each to RM4.43 and RM13.58, respectively. CIMB remained flat at RM6.99, and IHH Healthcare increased by five sen to RM6.94. In active trade, NEXG and Aizo gained one sen each to 38 sen and 10 sen, respectively, while Thriven Global ticked up half-a-sen to 10 sen. Iconic Worldwide was unchanged at nine sen, and ACE debutant WTEC Group eased half-a-sen to 24.5 sen.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index fell 9.27 points to 11,291.53, the FBMT 100 Index edged down 10.63 points to 11,061.14, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index decreased by 4.94 points to 11,143.38. The FBM 70 Index slipped 10.59 points to 15,864.75, and the FBM ACE Index eased 7.56 points to 4,622.53. Across sectors, the Financial Services Index decreased by 26.54 points to 18,136.78, the Industrial Products and Services Index shaved 0.32 of-a-point to 149.29, and the Energy Index trimmed 0.90 of-a-point to 674.67. The Plantation Index, however, climbed 6.67 points to 7,230.29.