Kuala lumpur: Bursa Malaysia ended the week slightly higher, buoyed by gains in selected heavyweight stocks in the healthcare and construction sectors, aligning with positive trends in regional markets. The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 1.76 points to close at 1,712.65, up from Thursday's close of 1,710.89. The market opened with an increase of 1.84 points at 1,712.73, fluctuating between 1,708.45 and 1,716.28 throughout the day.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, market breadth was negative with 584 losers surpassing 409 gainers. A total of 592 counters remained unchanged, while 1,207 were untraded and 137 suspended. The turnover saw a slight decline, recording 2.97 billion units worth RM3.25 billion compared to the previous day's turnover of 3.0 billion units valued at RM3.14 billion.

Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng noted that investors showed caution, avoiding fresh long positions due to unresolved geopolitical tensions in West Asia. He mentioned that market activity was selective, with a focus on defensive and commodity-linked plays to hedge against external risks.

Meanwhile, IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan highlighted that policy measures across the Asia Pacific region aimed at stabilizing financial markets may indirectly support sentiment. He stated that market breadth remains stable, suggesting a phase of consolidation rather than a shift to risk-off strategies, with investors taking a tactical approach while awaiting clearer macroeconomic and geopolitical indicators.

Among the heavyweights, Sunway Healthcare increased by 8.0 sen to RM2.37, Petronas Gas rose 80 sen to RM18.42, while Maybank and YTL Corporation each gained two sen to reach RM11.46 and RM1.67, respectively. CIMB, however, fell 11 sen to RM7.70. On the most active list, VS Industry dropped five sen to 23.5 sen, Zetrix AI decreased by half-a-sen to 73.5 sen, Velesto Energy slid 1.5 sen to 33 sen, and Pharmaniaga went up by one sen to 25 sen.

Top gainers included Fraser and Neave and Nestle, both adding RM1.06 to reach RM30.76 and RM99.06 respectively. Sunway Bhd increased by 24 sen to RM5.47, Gas Malaysia added 16 sen to RM5.83, and IOI Properties rose 15 sen to RM3.47. Conversely, top losers were Mega Fortris, which fell 23.5 sen to 76.5 sen, Hong Leong Bank, which slipped 20 sen to RM22.30, UWC, which lost 16 sen to RM4.08, and United Plantations, which dropped 14 sen to RM33.46.

On the index board, the FBM Top 100 Index increased by 15.28 points to 12,337.50, the FBM Emas Index added 6.81 points to 12,465.26, and the FBM 70 Index climbed 32.32 points to 17,098.79. The FBM Emas Shariah Index gained 42.66 points to 12,272.19, while the FBM ACE Index decreased by 27.31 points to 4,327.45.

Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index declined by 102.63 points to 20,327.50, the Industrial Products and Services Index rose by 0.17 of a point to 182.89, the Energy Index fell by 7.97 points to 798.29, and the Plantation Index increased by 48.02 points to 8,704.97.

The Main Market volume increased to 1.89 billion units valued at RM3.05 billion from 1.83 billion units valued at RM2.90 billion the previous day. Warrants turnover decreased to 818.64 million units worth RM109.49 million from 893.33 million units worth RM126.61 million. The ACE Market volume dropped to 255.80 million units valued at RM88.32 million from 277.72 million units valued at RM113.46 million.

Consumer products and services accounted for 183.60 million shares traded on the Main Market, with industrial products and services trading 406.48 million, construction 211.33 million, technology 166.88 million, financial services 90.24 million, property 130.89 million, plantation 59.01 million, real estate investment trusts 30.13 million, closed-end fund 27,000, energy 235.11 million, healthcare 278.63 million, telecommunications and media 36.29 million, transportation and logistics 36.02 million, utilities 31.06 million, and business trusts 175,800.