Kuala lumpur: Bursa Malaysia's key index experienced a slight uptick at midday, with trading characterized by a mix of buying and selling in selected heavyweight stocks against a backdrop of mostly weaker regional market performance.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the improvement in investors' risk appetite was noted after the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) reported that Malaysia's nominal gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 4.8 per cent, reaching RM2.03 trillion in 2025. At 12:30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose by 0.82 of-a-point to 1,713.30, compared to the previous day's close of 1,712.48. The benchmark index had opened 1.91 points higher at 1,714.39, experiencing fluctuations between 1,710.79 and 1,720.59 during the morning session.
Despite the index's overall gain, the broader market sentiment was negative, with losers outnumbering gainers 451 to 417. Additionally, 557 counters were unchanged, 1,342 remained untraded, and 48 were suspended. The turnover totaled 1.63 billion shares valued at RM1.01 billion.
In the heavyweight category, CIMB saw a two sen increase to RM7.78, while IHH Healthcare maintained its position at RM8.34. Conversely, Maybank and Public Bank each fell by four sen to RM10.86 and RM5.15, respectively, while Tenaga Nasional climbed 10 sen to RM14.56.
Among active stocks, Tanco rose by half-a-sen to 26.5 sen, Nationgate firmed up by four sen to RM1.13, and Velesto stayed the same at 24.5 sen. Meanwhile, Zetrix AI decreased by half-a-sen to 68.5 sen, and XII Synergy dropped one sen to 20 sen.
In terms of top gainers, Nestle advanced by RM3.54 to RM97.20, Kuala Lumpur Kepong increased by 32 sen to RM20.86, Hong Leong Industries strengthened by 24 sen to RM18.12, Allianz jumped 20 sen to RM21.20, and Dufu Technology surged 18 sen to RM2.61.
Conversely, UMS Integration led the list of losers, falling 40 sen to RM6.82, while Malaysian Pacific Industries shed 30 sen to RM43.70, Hong Leong Bank lost 22 sen to 43.5 sen, Sam Engineering and Equipment declined 15 sen to RM4.35, and Khind slipped 12 sen to RM1.41.
Among the broader indices, the FBM Emas Index rose 10.55 points to 12,652.27, the FBMT 100 Index added 10.53 points to 12,486.92, and the FBM Mid 70 Index increased 34.78 points to 17,936.64. The FBM Emas Shariah Index recovered 29.17 points to 12,486.70, and the FBM ACE Index expanded 9.65 points to 4,895.94.
In sectoral performance, the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 0.93 of-a-point to 186.40, and the Plantation Index accumulated 26.16 points to 9,257.75. However, the Financial Services Index dropped 47.19 points to 20,207.27, and the Energy Index fell 1.88 points to 761.54.