Bursa malaysia: Bursa Malaysia's benchmark index concluded the trading day on a lower note, primarily due to profit-taking activities. This decline caused the index to fall below the psychological level of 1,600, with notable weaknesses observed in selected banking, utilities, and Petronas-linked heavyweights.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) decreased by 12.77 points, settling at 1,598.93, compared to the previous day's close of 1,611.70. The index opened with a 4.84-point decline at 1,606.86, fluctuating between 1,597.41 and 1,606.86 throughout the trading session. The broader market sentiment was negative, with 515 decliners outpacing 494 gainers, while 509 counters remained unchanged, 1,118 were untraded, and seven were suspended. The overall turnover narrowed to 2.56 billion units valued at RM2.52 billion from the previous day's 3.13 billion units worth RM3.16 billion.

Kenneth Leong, head of research at Berjaya Research Sdn Bhd, noted that the pullback below the 1,600 mark was indicative of near-term profit-taking. However, he suggested that the downside might be cushioned by potential bargain-hunting activities, given the attractive valuations and stable macroeconomic conditions. He emphasized that foreign fund flows would remain a crucial factor, with investors closely monitoring shifts in global risk appetite. Additionally, investors are expected to pay attention to Malaysia's monthly export and import data, set to be released the following day. Technically, Leong mentioned that the FBM KLCI had formed a bearish candle, closing just below the 1,600 psychological level.

Among the heavyweights, Maybank fell by six sen to RM9.88, Public Bank eased by five sen to RM4.25, Tenaga dropped 16 sen to RM13.28, and IHH decreased by five sen to RM7.31, while CIMB remained unchanged at RM7.32. In terms of active stocks, Pharmaniaga rose by one sen to 28.5 sen, SNS increased by five sen to 62.5 sen, and MCLean gained three sen to 49.5 sen. Conversely, VS Industry eased by half a sen to 55 sen, and Bumi Armada slid by one sen to 34 sen.

Top losers included Nestle, which fell RM2.90 to RM95.00, followed by ChinTeck, which shed 16 sen to RM9.90. Dutch Lady dropped 16 sen to RM27.20, Petronas Chemicals declined 12 sen to RM4.33, and Ralco trimmed 8.5 sen to 91 sen. On the other hand, top gainers were Allianz, climbing 38 sen to RM18.88, Hong Leong Industries, rising by 34 sen to RM13.94, Formosa, gaining 21 sen to RM1.66, Ajinomoto, increasing by 20 sen to RM13.50, and Scientex, which rose by 16 sen to RM3.39.

On the broader market, the FBM Emas Index decreased by 56.09 points to 11,887.90, and the FBMT 100 Index fell by 59.99 points to 11,640.25. The FBM Emas Shariah Index lost 21.30 points to 11,915.10. In contrast, the FBM 70 Index climbed by 59.64 points to 16,679.74, while the FBM ACE Index was down by 21.65 points at 4,871.68.

By sector, the Industrial Products and Services Index decreased by 0.86 points to 166.69, the Financial Services Index dropped 145.18 points to 18,096.96, and the Plantation Index declined by 1.63 points to 7,732.57. Meanwhile, the Energy Index saw a gain of 2.31 points to 753.05.

Market volume on the Main Market decreased to 1.57 billion units valued at RM2.26 billion from the previous 1.92 billion units valued at RM2.89 billion. Warrant turnover reduced to 641.29 million units worth RM107.66 million, down from 860.43 million units worth RM137.02 million previously. The ACE Market volume increased to 354.40 million, valued at RM145.66 million, from 343.55 million worth RM133.36 million on Wednesday.

In terms of sectoral trading, consumer products and services accounted for 199.97 million shares on the Main Market, industrial products and services for 291.87 million, construction for 91.06 million, technology for 236.38 million, financial services for 94.31 million, and property for 146.86 million. The plantation sector traded 31.14 million shares, REITs 23.75 million, closed/fund 270,800, energy 149.45 million, healthcare 199.41 million, telecommunications and media 24.94 million, transportation and logistics 35.62 million, utilities 47.42 million, and business trusts 1,100.