Kuala lumpur: Bursa Malaysia ended its two-day rally with a decline, as investors engaged in profit-taking amidst a cautious trading environment that mirrored the mostly downbeat performance of regional markets. At the close of trading, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) dropped 7.76 points or 0.48 percent, settling at 1,622.84 compared to the previous day's close of 1,630.60. The index, which opened slightly higher, fluctuated between 1,617.79 and 1,632.95 throughout the trading day.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, despite the decline in the benchmark index, the broader market remained positive with more advancers than decliners, posting a tally of 584 to 523. Additionally, 541 counters remained unchanged, while 1,056 were untraded, and seven were suspended. The total turnover decreased to 3.28 billion units worth RM2.30 billion, down from 3.93 billion units worth RM3.32 billion recorded the previous day.
Mohd Sedek Jantan, director of investment strategy and country economist at IPPFA Sdn Bhd, noted that telecommunications and media counters were among the key decliners of the index constituents. In contrast, industrial products and services counters experienced gains. Despite 22 component stocks ending in negative territory, he stated that the benchmark index maintains a positive stance on a week-to-date basis.
Attention in the global trading cycle is shifting to the United States, where investors are anticipating two significant economic reports-the US ADP Employment Change and the Institute of Supply Management (ISM) Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for November. The ADP report is expected to reveal a sharp decline in private-sector employment growth, with an addition of only 10,000 workers compared to 42,000 in October. Meanwhile, the ISM Services PMI is projected to decrease slightly to 52.1 from 52.4. Any indication of weakness in these reports could influence expectations regarding potential interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve at its December policy meeting.
Among the heavyweights, Public Bank saw an increase of 3.0 sen to RM4.44, and Tenaga Nasional rose by 10 sen to RM12.84. Conversely, Maybank dropped 8.0 sen to RM10.26, CIMB decreased by 5.0 sen to RM7.95, and IHH Healthcare fell by 9.0 sen to RM8.27. The most active stocks included Tanco, which gained 3.0 sen to RM1.14, and D and O Green Technologies, which rose by 7.0 sen to 83.5 sen.
In terms of top gainers, Malaysian Pacific Industries surged RM1.24 to RM32.58, while KESM Industries climbed 27 sen to RM3.13. Top losers included Nestle, which dipped RM3.60 to RM116.60, and Fraser and Neave, which dropped RM1.24 to RM35.12.
The index board showed mixed results, with the FBM ACE Index increasing by 29.22 points to 4,810.09, and the FBM Mid 70 Index adding 36.65 points to 16,762.65. However, the FBM Emas Index fell by 29.53 points to 12,001.76, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index declined by 31.74 points to 11,816.38.
Sector-wise, the Plantation Index rose by 6.97 points to 8,098.07, while the Financial Services Index eased by 1.92 points to 19,109.06. The Industrial Products and Services Index slightly decreased by 0.08 of-a-point to 166.04, and the Energy Index slid by 0.46 of-a-point to 749.95.
In trading volume, the Main Market recorded a decline to 1.32 billion units worth RM1.96 billion, and warrant turnover fell to 1.60 billion units worth RM205.05 million. The ACE Market volume also decreased to 349.14 million units valued at RM124.85 million. In a separate announcement, Bursa Malaysia Bhd stated that REX Industry Bhd would be changing its name to ETA Group Bhd, effective December 8, 2025, with stock codes remaining unchanged.