Kuala lumpur: Bursa Malaysia's key index closed higher today as bargain hunting drove gains, aligning with positive investor sentiment across regional markets. The index consolidated at its highest level in over two months, a mark last observed on October 2, 2025. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 12.42 points, or 0.76 percent, to 1,637.81, compared to Thursday's close of 1,625.39.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the benchmark index opened 2.83 points lower at 1,622.56 and briefly descended to an early low of 1,622.03 before ascending to an intraday high of 1,640.36 in late trading. Market breadth was positive, with 743 gainers surpassing 387 decliners. Additionally, 530 counters remained unchanged, 1,108 went untraded, and 16 were suspended. Turnover increased to 3.09 billion units worth RM2.46 billion from 2.99 billion units worth RM2.35 billion on Thursday.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd's vice-president of equity research, Thong Pak Leng, noted that the FBM KLCI ended higher due to continued bargain-hunting. He mentioned that regional markets also closed higher, buoyed by positive sentiment from Wall Street amid expectations of a dovish US Federal Reserve following its recent rate cut and plans to resume asset purchases.
Thong further explained that the benchmark index has surpassed the 1,630 resistance level and now needs to remain above this threshold to progress towards 1,650. He added that sustained consolidation above 1,630 would indicate improving investor confidence, suggesting that recent gains are more than just a short-term rebound. With trading activity remaining steady and domestic fundamentals supportive, the index is well-positioned to strengthen further, particularly if market sentiment remains stable and foreign fund inflows improve.
Meanwhile, IPPFA Sdn Bhd's director of investment strategy and country economist, Mohd Sedek Jantan, observed that the FBM KLCI first crossed the 1,640 level at 4.33 pm, making several attempts to hold above it before settling just below at the close. He noted that today's rebound has helped narrow the year-to-date performance to -0.28 percent, reflecting improved market sentiment following recent volatility.
Mohd Sedek also pointed out that sentiment was bolstered by robust Malaysian economic data releases today. He stated that while these indicators are inherently lagging, the consistency across manufacturing, industrial production, and wholesale and retail trade reinforces the view that Malaysia's underlying economic momentum remains intact in the fourth quarter of 2025 and into 2026.
Among heavyweights, Maybank added four sen to RM10.30, Public Bank rose five sen to RM4.47, CIMB Group gained two sen to RM7.90, Tenaga Nasional advanced 28 sen to RM13.02, and IHH Healthcare climbed 21 sen to RM8.61. On the most active list, Velesto Energy increased by half-a-sen to 28 sen, Tanco Holdings added three sen to RM1.18, and Perak Transit gained three sen to 31.5 sen, while Zetrix AI and Borneo Oil remained flat at 83.5 sen and half-a-sen, respectively.
Top gainers included BLD Plantation, which jumped RM1.16 to RM16.20, Petronas Gas advanced 42 sen to RM17.70, LPI Capital rose 22 sen to RM14.96, and PGF Capital climbed 15 sen to RM1.93. Among the top losers, Nestle fell 90 sen to RM113.30, Batu Kawan slipped 10 sen to RM19.26, Ajinomoto shed 10 sen to RM13.68, Sungei Bagan Rubber declined nine sen to RM5.53, and Telekom Malaysia lost eight sen to RM7.80.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index jumped 90.37 points to 12,074.03, the FBM Emas Shariah Index gained 86.44 points to 11,909.20, the FBMT 100 Index climbed 86.43 points to 11,863.30, the FBM 70 Index increased 106.10 points to 16,736.67, and the FBM ACE Index added 46.13 points to 4,758.19. Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index rose 69.22 points to 19,221.70, the Plantation Index put on 17.09 points to 8,151.27, the Industrial Products and Services Index ticked up 1.63 points to 169.17, and the Energy Index perked up 4.99 points to 767.79.
The Main Market volume improved to 1.64 billion units worth RM2.19 billion from 1.47 billion units worth RM2.10 billion on Thursday. Warrants turnover declined to 1.04 billion units worth RM141.19 million against 1.17 billion units worth RM134.84 million previously. The ACE Market volume expanded to 397.29 million units valued at RM121.52 million versus 344.31 million units valued at RM117.09 million yesterday. Consumer products and services counters accounted for 280.25 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (278.28 million), construction (130.42 million), technology (235.04 million), financial services (84.55 million), property (174.03 million), plantation (17.88 million), real estate investment trusts (21.36 million), closed-end fund (8,100 shares), energy (225.53 million), healthcare (97.22 million), telecommunications and media (26.57 million), transportation and logistics (42.47 million), utilities (30.21 million), and business trusts (nil).