KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — Bursa Malaysia ended marginally higher after trading within a narrow range, supported by selective buying that offset profit-taking activities.
The mixed performance from regional equities, driven by rising geopolitical tensions in West Asia, continued to weigh on investor sentiment.
At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) was slightly higher, rising 0.57 points to 1,679.53 compared with Wednesday’s close of 1,678.96.
The benchmark index opened 1.58 points lower at 1,677.38 and traded between 1,674.65 and 1,680.53 throughout the session.
Market breadth was broadly balanced, with gainers ahead of losers 562 to 561, while 538 counters were unchanged, 1,030 untraded and 21 suspended.
Turnover slipped to 3.32 billion units worth RM2.88 billion from 3.97 billion units worth RM2.73 billion yesterday.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said the benchmark index managed to close in positive territory; however, the firm remains cautious as external uncertainties continue to cloud the near-term market outlook.
“Persistent foreign selling, coupled with concerns over elevated energy prices and geopolitical developments, may continue to keep investors on the sidelines.
“While downside risks remain, attractive valuations in selected sectors may continue to provide support to the broader market. Overall, we expect the FBM KLCI to trend within the 1,670–1,690 range towards the weekend,” he told Bernama.
IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan said that, locally, gains were supported by selective buying in petrochemical, utilities, and consumer-related counters, although profit-taking within the same sectors capped further upside.
“The market’s resilience reflects continued investor preference for defensive and domestically oriented stocks amid lingering geopolitical uncertainties and a cautious external backdrop,” he added.
Among the heavyweights on Bursa Malaysia, Maybank and Public Bank fell by two sen to RM10.66 and RM4.78, respectively. Meanwhile, Tenaga Nasional added eight sen to RM14.30, CIMB was down 10 sen to RM7.30, and IHH Healthcare was unchanged to RM8.67.
Among active stocks, Zetrix AI lost 3.5 sen to 81 sen, ACE Market debutant MM Computer Systems gained half a sen to 22.5 sen, VS Industry was one sen lower at 20 sen, Hong Seng was unchanged at one sen, and Top Glove was two sen higher to 83 sen.
Among the top gainers, Malaysian Pacific Industries rose by 88 sen to RM47.56, Nestle was 72 sen higher to RM94.50, Batu Kawan added 52 sen to RM20.80, and Kuala Lumpur Kepong accumulated 46 sen to RM20.94.
Among the top losers, Petronas Dagangan was 92 sen easier at RM17.72, United Plantations slipped 70 sen to RM31.60, Ideal Capital shed 60 sen to RM3.50, and Allianz Malaysia fell by 40 sen to RM20.56.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index fell by 2.88 points to 12,453.60, the FBM Top 100 Index was down 3.79 points to 12,298.43, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index gained 27.25 points to 12,443.74.
The FBM Mid 70 Index lost 39.48 points to 17,912.41, while the FBM ACE Index gained 11.11 points to 4,671.76.
By sector, the Financial Services Index fell by 78.75 points to 19,503.66, the Industrial Products and Services Index perked up 1.65 points to 198.48, the Energy Index rose by 6.09 points to 784.86, and the Plantation Index gained 11.61 points to 8,805.83.
The Main Market’s volume narrowed to 1.68 billion units valued at RM2.53 billion from 2.45 billion units valued at RM2.40 billion yesterday.
Warrants inched up to 1.07 billion units valued at RM172.98 million from 1.06 billion units valued at RM170.17 million previously.
ACE Market volume expanded to 562.41 million worth RM177.14 million from 453.18 million worth RM151.41 million.
Consumer products and services counters accounted for 189.74 million shares traded on the Main Market, followed by industrial products and services (292.87 million), construction (110.58 million), technology (359.04 million), financial services (77.0 million), property (330.62 million), plantation (31.18 million), real estate investment trusts (22.57 million), closed-end funds (1,000), energy (67.14 million), healthcare (82.70 million), telecommunications and media (52.96 million), transportation and logistics (32.38 million), utilities (32.95 million), and business trusts (20,000). — Bernama
