Kuala lumpur: Bursa Malaysia ended Tuesday's trading session higher, aligning with gains seen across regional markets, as sentiment improved on expectations of potential peace talks between the United States and Iran. At the close of the trading day, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose by 7.60 points, or 0.45%, to settle at 1,688.12, up from Monday's close of 1,680.52.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the market witnessed an upswing after US President Donald Trump signaled a willingness to resume negotiations with Iran. This development spurred appetite for risky assets and helped ease concerns over potential crude supply disruptions in West Asia. The benchmark index opened 10.44 points higher at 1,690.96, fluctuating between 1,686.06 and 1,694.16 throughout the day.
In the broader market, gainers outnumbered losers with 663 counters rising compared to 455 that fell, while 537 counters remained unchanged, 1,061 were untraded, and 12 were suspended. Turnover slightly decreased to 2.85 billion units worth RM2.67 billion from the previous day's 2.94 billion units worth RM2.64 billion.
IPPFA Sdn Bhd investment strategy director and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan noted that the improvement in market sentiment was driven by Trump's indication that Iran had reached out for renewed negotiations, reinforcing expectations of a potential diplomatic pathway despite recent tensions. He highlighted a modest shift in investor sentiment, marked by a rotation out of US dollar holdings and renewed interest in risk assets.
On a domestic level, Mohd Sedek observed that foreign investor sentiment was on the rise, with Malaysia experiencing a fifth consecutive day of net foreign inflows. He pointed out that this consistent return of foreign participation suggests a gradual rebuilding of confidence in domestic equities, although investors remain cautious amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainties.
Among the heavyweights, Maybank gained six sen to RM11.04. Public Bank and IHH Healthcare each rose by four sen to RM4.64 and RM8.75, respectively. Tenaga Nasional added 14 sen to RM14.32, while CIMB climbed 16 sen to RM7.55.
On the most active list, Velesto Energy slipped two sen to 32.5 sen, MMAG remained flat at four sen, Zetrix AI gained one sen to 77 sen, Bumi Armada eased by half a sen to 39.5 sen, and V.S. Industry inched up half a sen to 18.5 sen.
Top gainers included Malaysian Pacific Industries, which increased by 74 sen to RM30.64. Fraser and Neave garnered 62 sen to RM29.80, Ajinomoto jumped 42 sen to RM12.56, Pentamaster surged 37 sen to RM3.47, and Kelington leapt 28 sen to RM5.31.
Among the top losers, Petronas Dagangan fell 76 sen to RM20.54, Kuala Lumpur Kepong slid 38 sen to RM21.46, Dutch Lady Milk dropped 20 sen to RM31.80, Quality Concrete tumbled 19 sen to RM1.08, and Petronas Gas lost 18 sen to RM18.26.
On the index board, the FBM Top 100 Index rose by 72.82 points to 12,251.89. The FBM Emas Index added 72.98 points to 12,406.25, the FBM Mid 70 Index climbed 179.41 points to 17,376.26, the FBM Emas Shariah Index gained 45.53 points to 12,312.59, and the FBM ACE Index advanced 56.80 points to 4,467.71.
By sector, the Financial Services Index surged by 173.98 points to 19,672.87, while the Industrial Products and Services Index increased by 0.47 of a point to 187.65. The Plantation Index fell by 28.11 points to 8,940.78, and the Energy Index shed 8.17 points to 823.53.
The Main Market volume saw a slight increase to 1.57 billion units valued at RM2.38 billion compared to Monday's 1.54 billion units valued at RM2.40 billion. Warrants turnover declined to 854.73 million units worth RM117.69 million from the previous day's 980.67 million units valued at RM131.27 million. The ACE Market volume expanded to 431.21 million units valued at RM167.65 million, compared to 417.61 million units valued at RM111.03 million previously.
Consumer products and services counters accounted for 162.58 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (286.66 million), construction (159.94 million), technology (199.37 million), financial services (72.34 million), property (139.29 million), plantation (35.57 million), real estate investment trusts (10.54 million), closed-end fund (nil), energy (274.56 million), healthcare (125.52 million), telecommunications and media (31.33 million), transportation and logistics (20.09 million), utilities (48.34 million), and business trusts (66,300).