Bursa malaysia: Bursa Malaysia concluded today's trading session in negative territory, with the key index slipping by 0.32 percent. The broader market saw a higher number of losers compared to gainers, as profit-taking activities weighed heavily on market sentiment just days before the upcoming Chinese New Year break.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, at the closing bell, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell by 5.54 points to settle at 1,750.85 from the previous day's close of 1,756.39. The benchmark index began the day 1.30 points lower at 1,755.09, fluctuating throughout the session between a low of 1,749.70 and a high of 1,758.06.

The market saw 593 losers outnumbering 489 gainers, while 555 counters remained unchanged, 1,059 were untraded, and 11 were suspended. The day's turnover slightly increased to 2.57 billion units valued at RM2.79 billion, compared to 2.55 billion units worth RM3.06 billion recorded yesterday.

Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd's vice-president of equity research, Thong Pak Leng, noted that the key index ended the day marginally lower due to light trading activity, driven by investors capitalizing on gains from the previous session's rally. Regional markets exhibited mixed performances, with profit-taking evident in several bourses, though tech stocks in South Korea and Taiwan continued to draw significant investor interest.

Regionally, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index declined by 0.97 percent to 27,001.71, whereas Singapore's Straits Times Index advanced by 0.65 percent to 5,016.76. Japan's Nikkei 225 saw a slight decrease of 0.02 percent to 57,639.84, while South Korea's Kospi surged by 3.13 percent to 5,522.27.

Domestically, trading was subdued in anticipation of the Chinese New Year holidays. However, support levels remained robust as the index hovered around the 1,750 mark. Thong Pak Leng mentioned that maintaining levels within the 1,730-1,750 support zone would sustain a positive outlook and support further upward potential. He expects the FBM KLCI to fluctuate within the 1,740-1,760 range heading into the weekend.

Among the heavyweights, Maybank decreased by 12 sen to RM12.14, while CIMB, 99 Speed Mart, and Press Metal each fell by six sen to RM8.53, RM3.95, and RM7.69, respectively. CelcomDigi dropped by four sen to RM3.21.

On the list of most active stocks, Zetrix AI improved by half-a-sen to 82 sen, Kee Ming gained 49 sen to 87 sen, and Tanco, Velesto, and Borneo Oil remained flat at RM1.38, 31 sen, and one sen respectively.

Leading gainers included Fraser and Neave, which rose by 58 sen to RM32.88, Hong Leong Industries, which increased by 42 sen to RM18.62, and Petronas Gas, which added 30 sen to RM18.54. Among the top decliners, Nestle dropped by 70 sen to RM110.60, United Plantations fell by 58 sen to RM29.62, Hong Leong Financial decreased by 16 sen to RM22.68, Lysaght Galvanised reduced by 14 sen to RM2.25, and Solarvest lost 12 sen to RM2.25.

In the broader market, the FBM Top 100 Index reduced by 24.72 points to 12,630.89, the FBM Emas Index decreased by 23.33 points to 12,805.44, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index fell by 0.79 of a point to 12,261.64. The FBM Mid 70 Index increased by 34.33 points to 17,591.62, while the FBM ACE Index gained 24.64 points to 4,775.13.

Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index dropped by 107.51 points to 21,762.87, the Plantation Index fell by 30.86 points to 8,355.03, while the Industrial Products and Services Index rose slightly by 0.22 points to 176.73. The Energy Index increased by 1.56 points to 750.95.

The Main Market volume decreased to 1.45 billion units valued at RM250.71 billion from 1.49 billion units worth RM2.85 billion on Wednesday. Warrant turnover declined to 620.26 million units worth RM71.28 million from 642.03 million units valued at RM71.90 million previously. Meanwhile, the ACE Market volume increased to 500.07 million units valued at RM206.99 million from 413.84 million units worth RM144 million the previous day.

Consumer products and services counters accounted for 196.33 million shares traded on the Main Market, while industrial products and services saw 238.34 million, construction 149.51 million, technology 176.20 million, financial services 122.44 million, property 167.96 million, plantation 24.67 million, real estate investment trusts 25.70 million, closed-end fund 28,600, energy 119.80 million, healthcare 93.15 million, telecommunications and media 45.91 million, transportation and logistics 55.73 million, utilities 32.74 million, and business trusts 94,700.