Kuala lumpur: Bursa Malaysia experienced a rise at midday, driven by a renewed interest in technology stocks, mirroring the performance of most regional markets. At 12.30 pm, the FBM KLCI increased by 16.18 points to reach 1,748.84, compared to the previous day's close of 1,732.66. The index began the day 3.70 points higher at 1,736.36 and traded within the range of 1,732.68 to 1,750.41 during the morning session.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the broader market showed positivity, with 606 gainers surpassing 394 losers, while 484 counters remained unchanged, 1,248 were not traded, and 12 were suspended. The total turnover was recorded at 2.04 billion units valued at RM1.83 billion.
Apex Securities Bhd indicated that the technology sector might remain a focal point this week, despite a varied performance in the regional semiconductor market. Additionally, energy and transport-related stocks could gain from lower crude oil prices as US-Iran tensions ease. Reports also highlighted that US President Donald Trump proposed a ban on Chinese data center components.
In the financial domain, the sector is anticipated to maintain support from improving market sentiment. Key players such as Maybank and Tenaga Nasional each rose by 10 sen to RM10.88 and RM14.60, respectively, while CIMB Group increased by three sen to RM8.06. Public Bank saw a one sen increase to RM5.27, whereas IHH Healthcare experienced a decline of 11 sen to RM8.32.
Active stocks included NationGate Holdings, which rose by eight sen to RM1.37, and Inari Amertron, which gained 18 sen to RM2.39. Meanwhile, VS Industry edged up by one sen to 24 sen, Zetrix AI decreased by 1.5 sen to 72 sen, and HHRG dropped by half a sen to 11 sen.
Significant gainers were Malaysian Pacific Industries, climbing RM1.80 to RM48.58, and Nestle, which increased by 60 sen to RM102.40. Pentamaster Corporation advanced by 40 sen to RM5.69, United Plantations improved by 34 sen to RM34.38, and Vitrox Corporation rose by 33 sen to RM9.08. On the contrary, Fraser and Neave fell by 50 sen to RM27.32, and Petronas Chemicals dropped by 11 sen to RM4.54. LPI Capital and Petronas Dagangan each decreased by 10 sen to RM15 and RM19.60, respectively.
Other indices also showed upward trends; the FBM Emas Index gained 111.76 points to 12,921.08, the FBM Top 100 Index increased by 114.60 points to 12,755.31, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index added 138.68 points to 12,761.19. The FBM ACE Index rose by 30.75 points to 5,048.19, and the FBM Mid 70 Index gained 150.45 points to 18,361.95. By sector, the Financial Services Index grew by 100.45 points to 20,619.64, the Industrial Products and Services Index increased by 1.56 points to 190.24, and the Plantation Index rose by 115.86 points to 9,493.17. However, the Energy Index fell by 2.99 points to 761.54.