Kuala Lumpur: Bursa Malaysia’s benchmark index remained in negative territory at midday due to persistent selling activities in selected heavyweights, primarily within the financial services sector. At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) decreased by 5.40 points, or 0.35 percent, to 1,559.02 from the previous day’s close of 1,564.42.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, CIMB fell 25 sen to RM7.55, Maybank reduced four sen to RM10.54, and Hong Leong Bank dropped 20 sen to RM21.10. These counters collectively pulled down the composite index by 6.11 points. The FBM KLCI, which opened 4.53 points higher at 1,568.95, fluctuated between 1,554.85 and 1,569.43 during the morning trading session.
Despite the decline in the benchmark index, the broader market showed a positive trend with 520 advancers outpacing 367 decliners. A total of 381 counters remained unchanged, 1,074 were untraded, and seven were suspended. The turnover stood at 1.86 billion shares, valued at RM1.29 billion.
In a note, Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd pointed out that following a slower pace of increase in United States private payrolls, investors are expected to closely watch initial jobless claims and the European Central Bank’s interest rate decision later today. The brokerage firm also highlighted Malaysia’s US$250 million partnership deal with Arm Holdings Plc, which could create trading opportunities in the technology sector, particularly semiconductor counters.
Malacca Securities also expressed optimism about Itmax System and Time dotCom, citing their resilient business models and steady earnings growth. Additionally, the firm suggested that investors might find bargain-hunting opportunities in the construction sector, which is poised for growth through data centre investments and large-scale public infrastructure projects, ensuring solid earnings visibility in the coming years.
Regarding other heavyweights, CelcomDigi eased three sen to RM3.56, Gamuda edged down six sen to RM4.18, Petronas Chemicals gave up three sen to RM3.74, while Sime Darby added nine sen to RM2.14, and YTL Power International increased by six sen to RM3.10.
Among the actives, G3 Global and NexG inched up half-a-sen each to 1.5 sen and 26.5 sen, respectively. MyEG Services gained 6.5 sen to 97.5 sen, Dagang NeXchange increased 2.5 sen to 28.5 sen, and NationGate firmed by six sen to RM1.47.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index expanded 1.31 points to 11,615.30, the FBM 70 Index climbed 123.14 points to 16,519.19, the FBM Emas Shariah Index rose 52.65 points to 11,298.36, and the FBM ACE Index increased 3.29 points to 4,589.57, while the FBMT 100 Index decreased by 6.30 points to 11,390.98.
By sector, the Plantation Index improved by 30.40 points to 7,539.87, the Industrial Products and Services Index was 0.77 of-a-point higher at 156.23, the Financial Services Index dropped 171.97 points to 19,130.98, and the Energy Index fell by 6.43 points to 721.23.