Bursa malaysia: Bursa Malaysia concluded the morning session with an increase, driven by strategic buying in heavyweight counters within the utilities sector amid stable trading conditions. At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose by 1.47 points to 1,665.53, compared to the previous day's close of 1,664.06. The index opened 1.29 points higher at 1,665.35, trading between an intraday low of 1,663.76 and a high of 1,670.99 during the session.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, market breadth remained on the positive side, with 468 gainers outnumbering 410 decliners. A total of 459 counters were unchanged, while 1,284 counters recorded no trades, and 14 were suspended. The turnover was 1.42 billion shares valued at RM1.01 billion.
Apex Securities Bhd indicated that the technology sector continues to be a focal point, as chip and electronics manufacturing services in the Bursa track the global semiconductor trade, with their trajectory linked to the US jobs data due this week. The construction sector is expected to remain attractive due to ongoing high-tech facility and infrastructure contracts. Real estate investment trusts might maintain a defensive position if softer data prompts expectations of rate cuts. Banks need to stabilize for the index to bridge the gap with the broader market.
Hong Leong Investment Bank Bhd noted that the FBM KLCI is likely to experience volatility and be influenced by headlines in the near term. Market sentiment is contingent on US-Iran diplomatic developments, although no high-level discussions are currently planned.
Among heavyweight stocks, Maybank decreased by four sen to RM10.74, Public Bank dropped three sen to RM4.77, Tenaga Nasional lost two sen to RM14.26, and IHH fell by five sen to RM8.35. CIMB, however, rose by five sen to RM7.46. Active counters included Tanco, which increased by half a sen to 18 sen, Dagang Nexchange, up four sen to 45.5 sen, Silver Ridge, gaining three sen to 16 sen, Zetrix AI, up one sen to 77 sen, and YTL Power, which climbed 32 sen to RM4.49.
On the gainers' list, Critical Holdings surged 32 sen to RM1.41, Pentamaster increased by 19 sen to RM4.97, while FandN and Ayer Holdings each advanced 20 sen to RM7.20. Petronas Chemicals rose by 17 sen to RM4.22.
Top losers included Nestle, which decreased by RM1.32 to RM92.14, Malaysian Pacific Industries, down 38 sen to RM49.28, Kuala Lumpur Kepong, which fell by 16 sen to RM21, Gas Malaysia, down 15 sen to RM5.15, and PPB, which eased nine sen to RM9.20.
On the broader market, the FBM Emas Index increased by 17.33 points to 12,402.44, the FBM Top 100 Index added 16.46 points to 12,231.50, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index rose by 9.47 points to 12,293.32. The FBM Mid 70 Index went up by 47.98 points to 17,965.45, and the FBM ACE Index grew by 33.28 points to 4,856.71.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index decreased by 31.15 points to 19,579.51, the Energy Index increased by 1.21 points to 752.85, the Plantation Index dropped 11.84 points to 8,842.93, and the Industrial Products and Services Index rose by 1.22 points to 181.85.