Bursa malaysia: Bursa Malaysia opened slightly higher on Tuesday, influenced by Wall Street's overnight performance as investor sentiment improved due to a temporary halt in military activities between the US and Iran.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, at 9.10 am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) increased by 0.24 points to 1,666.15, compared to Monday's closure at 1,665.91. The benchmark index initially rose by 1.37 points, reaching 1,667.28. Market breadth showed a positive trend as gainers surpassed losers 181 to 130, with 297 counters unchanged, 2,082 untraded, and 79 suspended. Turnover recorded 157.26 million shares valued at RM89.56 million.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd's vice-president of equity research, Thong Pak Leng, noted that the FBM KLCI managed to recover from earlier losses to close almost unchanged the previous day, due in part to late bargain-hunting activities. He highlighted ongoing investor caution amid external uncertainties, as indicated by the day's low trading volume of 2.7 billion shares. Thong anticipated a lackluster trading day, with the FBM KLCI expected to fluctuate within the 1,660-1,670 range.
Among major stocks, Maybank and Tenaga Nasional gained two sen each to RM10.82 and RM14.28, respectively, while Public Bank increased by three sen to RM4.82. CIMB remained steady at RM7.45, and IHH dropped by four sen to RM8.36.
In active counters, ACE Market newcomer Liftech Group decreased by 1.5 sen to 27.5 sen, while Tanco, Senheng, and Dagang Nexchange rose by half-a-sen each to 15 sen, 15 sen, and 42.5 sen, respectively. SNS increased by three sen to 53.5 sen.
On the gainers' list, OCB rose by 13.5 sen to 99.5 sen. Apollo and Dutch Lady each gained 10 sen, reaching RM5.95 and RM32.60, respectively. Hume Cement improved by seven sen to RM2.99, and Genting Plantations advanced by six sen to RM5.26.
Among top losers, Malaysian Pacific Industries fell by RM1 to RM48.10. Batu Kawan dropped by 80 sen to RM20.64, Tradeplus slid by 17 sen to RM4.93, KLCC decreased by 15 sen to RM8.98, and Press Metal declined by 10 sen to RM7.68.
On the broader market, the FBM Emas Index rose by 3.81 points to 12,383.72, while the FBM Top 100 Index added 2.34 points to 12,215.43. However, the FBM Emas Shariah Index decreased by 3.38 points to 12,249.14. The FBM Mid 70 Index increased by 5.82 points to 17,854.54, and the FBM ACE Index gained 8.28 points to 4,797.57.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index expanded by 24.17 points to 19,697.20, the Energy Index rose by 2.92 points to 750.42, the Plantation Index dropped by 19.56 points to 8,806.07, and the Industrial Products and Services Index fell by 0.78 points to 180.59.