Kuala Lumpur: Bursa Malaysia traded in a mixed fashion at midday, as losses in the broader market were counteracted by gains in several index heavyweights, resulting in a slight upward movement of the benchmark index. At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) increased by 2.62 points to reach 1,526.46, marking a 0.17 percent rise from Wednesday's close of 1,523.84. The uplift was primarily driven by Maybank, YTL Power, and CelcomDigi.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Maybank saw an increase of nine sen to RM9.79, while YTL Power and CelcomDigi each gained eight sen, reaching RM3.73 and RM3.80, respectively. These three counters collectively contributed 3.80 points to the index. The benchmark index had opened 3.87 points higher at 1,527.71 and fluctuated between 1,523.22 and 1,528.72 during the morning session.
Market breadth remained negative with 446 decliners surpassing 278 gainers, while 477 counters remained unchanged, 1,194 were untraded, and 17 were suspended. Hong Leong Investment Bank Bhd observed that the local bourse ended higher on Wednesday, mirroring gains on Wall Street and regional markets, supported by improved breadth and stronger trading activity. The KLCI may continue to consolidate with a slight upward bias, buoyed by the conclusion of the second round of US-China trade talks in London. However, broader market sentiment remains cautious due to uncertainty surrounding the pending US-Malaysia tariff agreement and the traditionally soft seasonality for June, leading to investor confidence being under pressure amid a fragile global trade environment.
Among other gainers in the heavyweight group, IHH Healthcare increased by four sen to RM6.90, Petronas Gas rose by 16 sen to RM17.86, Maxis added four sen to RM3.63, and Petronas Chemicals went up by three sen to RM3.35. In active trade, Jiankun inched up by half-a-sen to three sen, while MYEG, Tanco, and Velesto remained flat at 97 sen, 97.5 sen, and 18.5 sen, respectively.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index rose by 7.98 points to 11,445.72, the FBMT 100 Index gained 10.40 points to 11,213.94, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index added 8.03 points to 11,400.70. The FBM 70 Index slipped by 19.92 points to 16,505.30, while the FBM ACE Index dropped by 36.0 points to 4,508.05. By sector, the Energy Index advanced by 6.54 points to 730.31, and the Financial Services Index rose by 2.31 points to 17,781.46. In contrast, the Industrial Products and Services Index eased by 0.03 point to 152.28, and the Plantation Index declined by 9.32 points to 7,204.50.