Kuala Lumpur:Bursa Malaysia's key index remained slightly lower at midday, influenced by persistent selling in selected heavyweight stocks, particularly in the financial services sector.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased by 1.44 points, or 0.09%, to 1,610.41 from the previous close of 1,611.85. The benchmark index had initially opened 2.64 points higher at 1,614.49 and fluctuated between 1,609.44 and 1,615.87 during the morning session.
In the broader market, gainers outnumbered losers with 575 counters rising compared to 353 that declined, while 458 remained unchanged. There were 1,481 counters that were not traded and 104 that were suspended. Turnover for the session stood at 1.96 billion units worth RM1.09 billion.
Hong Leong Investment Bank Bhd commented that the FBM KLCI is likely to remain in a risk-off consolidation mode. Factors such as a choppy Wall Street amid a week of significant US mega-cap earnings, the Federal Reserve's decision, upcoming US midterm elections, and ongoing US-Iran tensions are influencing the market. Domestically, uncertainties related to third-quarter 2026 earnings and institutional rebalancing ahead of the FBM KLCI's expansion from 30 to 50 constituents are adding pressure.
Among heavyweight stocks, Maybank and IHH Healthcare each fell by two sen to RM9.97 and RM7.82, respectively. Public Bank shed four sen to RM4.71, Tenaga Nasional declined by 10 sen to RM13.20, and CIMB lost one sen to RM7.10.
In terms of active trading, Zetrix AI and Top Glove saw slight increases, each inching up by half a sen to nine sen and 97 sen, respectively. VS Industry rose by one sen to 35.5 sen, while Landmarks added 1.5 sen to 5.5 sen.
Leading the top gainers, Nestle added RM2.76 to reach RM97.04. Malaysian Pacific Industries gained RM1.00 to RM42.30, Fraser & Neave increased by 32 sen to RM20.00, ViTrox rose by 26 sen to RM11.08, and MI Technovation improved by 25 sen to RM7.00.
On the other hand, among the top losers, United Plantations fell by 56 sen to RM29.14, Hong Leong Industries slid by 34 sen to RM16.16, Batu Kawan decreased by 20 sen to RM19.10, and both Westports and Telekom Malaysia dropped by 19 sen each to RM6.89 and RM7.86, respectively.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index increased by 8.70 points to 12,047.99, while the FBM Top 100 Index rose by 3.85 points to 11,838.38. The FBM Mid 70 Index gained 65.97 points to 17,436.09, the FBM Emas Shariah Index was 8.59 points higher at 12,058.32, and the FBM ACE Index went up by 64.12 points to 5,482.75.
Sector-wise, the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up by 1.27 points to 178.18, and the Energy Index increased by 0.45 of a point to 846.19. In contrast, the Financial Services Index slid by 34.83 points to 18,566.20, and the Plantation Index shed 18.16 points to 8,636.10.
Source BERNAMA News Agency