Kuala Lumpur: Bursa Malaysia continued its upward trend for a second straight day today, thanks to buying in telecommunications and consumer stocks. Most major Asian indices also ended in the green, buoyed by easing concerns surrounding US President Donald Trump’s tariff plans, said an analyst.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, at 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose by 0.29 per cent, or 4.45 points, to 1,518.05 from Tuesday’s close of 1,513.60. The benchmark index opened 3.10 points higher at 1,516.61 and moved between 1,514.65 and 1,525.73 throughout the trading session.
On the broader market, decliners outpaced gainers 428 to 398, while 481 counters were unchanged, 1,162 untraded, and 46 suspended. Turnover edged down to 3.11 billion units valued at RM2.46 billion from 3.12 billion units worth RM2.50 billion on Tuesday.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of Equity Research Thong Pak Leng said buying interest was largely concentrated in technology counters, as focus shifted to China’s artificial intelligence (AI) progress and expectations of further economic support from Beijing. He said investors would closely watch Friday’s US Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index for new insights into where the US Federal Reserve (Fed) may guide interest rates in the near term.
Meanwhile, UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors Sdn Bhd head of investment research Mohd Sedek Jantan noted that investors were increasingly gravitating towards telecommunications equities, lured by their attractive risk-reward dynamics. He pointed out that the high-profile merger of key telecommunications operators in Indonesia has injected fresh impetus, reigniting sector interest and lifting sentiment.
Bursa Malaysia heavyweights saw notable movements with Axiata increasing 9.0 sen to RM1.87, Maxis rising 10.0 sen to RM3.36, Public Bank and CelcomDigi each adding 3.0 sen to RM4.47 and RM3.48 respectively, and CIMB climbing 4.0 sen to RM7.04. Among the actives, ACE Market debutant Chemlite Innovation declined 2.0 sen to 23 sen, while Reneuco and Pertama Digital both fell slightly.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index garnered 25.82 points to 11,377.32, the FBMT 100 Index gained 26.02 points to 11,134.44, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index increased 33.64 points to 11,123.84. The FBM 70 Index climbed 11.91 points to 16,318.47 while the FBM ACE Index fell 13.97 points to 4,731.83.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index jumped 58.21 points to 18,481.98, the Industrial Products and Services Index slid 0.26 of-a-point to 153.06, the Plantation Index added 16.58 points to 7,454.25, and the Energy Index shed 1.84 points to 752.74.
The Main Market volume decreased to 1.22 billion units worth RM2.07 billion from 1.35 billion units valued at RM2.18 billion on Tuesday. Warrants turnover improved to 1.51 billion units valued at RM261.42 million against 1.41 billion units worth RM224.60 million yesterday. The ACE Market volume expanded to 370.39 million units worth RM123.36 million from 349.96 million units valued at RM101.92 million previously. Consumer products and services counters accounted for 174.10 million shares traded on the Main Market, followed by industrial products and services, construction, and technology sectors.