KUALA LUMPUR, March 19 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia ended lower today due to late selling in selected heavyweights, particularly in the healthcare, utilities and financial services sectors and was also in sync with regional market weakness. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 9.10 points or 0.53 per cent to 1,720.71 from yesterday’s close of 1,729.81. The market bellwether opened 6.52 points lower at 1,723.29, and fluctuated between 1,719.93 and 1,737.12 throughout the day. Market breadth was negative with losers beating gainers 707 to 442. A total of 486 counters were unchanged, 1,131 untraded and 11 suspended. Turnover increased to 3.36 billion units worth RM4.96 billion from yesterday’s 3.33 billion units worth RM4.27 billion.
Singapore equities showed mixed performance on Thursday , with selective strength in industrial and telecom names, while broader weakness persisted amid global volatility. STI Movers: Defensive and Yield Plays Hold Up Among the FTSE STI constituents , gainers were led by: Sembcorp Industries (+0.98%) – top performer, supported by energy-linked sentiment Genting Singapore (+0.74%) Singtel (+0.39%) OCBC Bank (+0.23%) On the downside: DFIRG USD (-5.11%) led decliners Hongkong Land (-4.17%) Jardine Matheson Holdings (-3.79%) City Developments (-3.40%) The divergence highlights rotation into defensive and yield-generating stocks , while property-linked counters faced pressure. REITs: Selective Buying in Yield Plays The REIT sector saw mixed performance: Suntec REIT (+4.29%) – strongest performer, indicating renewed investor interest Prime US REIT (-3.43%) led losses CDL Hospitality...