Kuala lumpur: Bursa Malaysia's benchmark index concluded the morning trading session positively, driven by buying interest primarily in the consumer products, plantation, and utilities sectors. At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose by 0.83 of a point, or 0.04 percent, reaching 1,711.72, up from the previous close of 1,710.89.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the benchmark index began the day 1.84 points higher at 1,712.73, fluctuating between 1,708.45 and 1,716.28 during the session. Despite the positive movement of the index, market breadth was negative, with 539 decliners surpassing 340 gainers. Additionally, 486 counters remained unchanged, 1,409 were untraded, and 137 were suspended. The trading turnover was recorded at 1.60 billion units, valued at RM1.36 billion.
Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd forecasts continued market volatility in the near future due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia. The firm advises reducing market exposure and maintaining healthy cash levels to capitalize once market clarity improves. The brokerage also noted the rise in the plantation index, suggesting that traders might find opportunities in related stocks amidst increasing crude palm oil prices, as the plantation index is closely linked to Brent oil price movements.
In terms of heavyweight counters, Sunway Healthcare increased by 11 sen to RM2.40, Petronas Gas rose 46 sen to RM18.08, and Maybank edged up two sen to RM11.46. CelcomDigi and YTL Corporation also saw gains, climbing five sen to RM3.04 and one sen to RM1.66, respectively.
On the most active list, VS Industry decreased by 4.5 sen to 24 sen, while Zetrix AI and GDB remained flat at 74 sen and 37.5 sen, respectively. Tanco fell three sen to RM1.41, and Top Glove increased by two sen to 56.5 sen.
Among the top gainers, Fraser and Neave rose RM1.32 to RM31.02, Nestle increased by 92 sen to RM98.92, and Malaysian Pacific went up 42 sen to RM29.44. Conversely, top losers included United Plantations, which dropped 20 sen to RM33.40, Batu Kawan decreased by 18 sen to RM19.70, Mulpha fell 15 sen to RM2.80, and LPI Capital declined 12 sen to RM14.24.
On the index board, the FBM Top 100 Index advanced 11.45 points to 12,333.67, the FBM Emas Shariah Index gained 18.75 points to 12,248.28, and the FBM Emas Index rose 5.27 points to 12,463.71. The FBM 70 Index strengthened by 39.68 points to 17,106.14, while the FBM ACE Index decreased by 18.60 points to 4,336.16.
Sector-wise, the Industrial Products and Services Index fell by 0.53 of a point to 182.19, and the Financial Services Index dropped 32.99 points to 20,397.14. Meanwhile, the Plantation Index gained 4.21 points to 8,661.16, and the Energy Index eased 5.30 points to 800.96.