KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia closed in negative territory today, erasing earlier gains as late selling pressure weighed on the market, while investors remained cautious ahead of upcoming tariff announcements by United States (US) President Donald Trump. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) declined by 1.63 points, or 0.11 per cent, to 1,503.82 from Friday’s close of 1,505.45. The benchmark index opened 1.05 points higher at 1,506.50. On the broader market, decliners led gainers 601 to 310, while 435 counters were unchanged, 1,080 untraded and 19 suspended. Turnover fell to 3.01 billion units worth RM1.92 billion from 3.43 billion units worth RM4.28 billion last Friday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said key regional markets closed mixed, with investor sentiment turning cautious ahead of potential US tariff announcements that could strain global trade.
KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia’s benchmark index ended the day marginally higher supported by renewed buying interest in blue-chip stocks, said an analyst.
At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 1.29 points to 1,505.45 from Thursday’s close of 1,504.16.
The benchmark index opened 0.29 of-a-point lower at 1,503.87 and moved between 1,503.71 and 1,513.23 throughout the day.
On the broader market, losers outpaced gainers 513 to 371 while 428 counters were unchanged, 1,125 untraded, and 29 suspended.
Turnover rose to 3.43 billion units worth RM4.28 billion from 3.27 billion units worth RM2.64 billion on Thursday.
UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors Sdn Bhd head of investment research Mohd Sedek Jantan said buying interest was seen particularly within defensive sectors such as utilities, healthcare, and banking during the morning session.
“In the afternoon, consumer stocks led the gains following the release of Malaysia’s February consumer price index (CPI) data, which showed a lower headline inflation rate compared to the previous month,” he told Bernama.
Malaysia's inflation rose at a slower pace of 1.5 per cent in February 2025, with the index standing at 134.1 points compared with 132.1 in the same month a year earlier.
Additionally, oil and gas-related stocks displayed upside potential, driven by a strong demand outlook after the US government data indicated a significantly larger-than-expected drawdown in distillate inventories, Mohd Sedek said.
For heavyweights, Public Bank added one sen to RM4.49, TNB advanced six sen to RM13.56, CIMB climbed five sen to RM6.85, IHH Healthcare jumped 13 sen to RM6.90, Hong Leong Bank gained eight sen to RM20.48, Maybank was flat at RM10.18, and Press Metal declined three sen to RM4.98.
As for the active stocks, IJM Corp firmed four sen to RM2.04, MY E.G. was flat at 92 sen, Tanco fell two sen to RM1.86, while Nationgate and Pavilion Real Estate Investment Trust eased four sen each to RM1.38 and RM1.44, respectively.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index edged up 4.42 points to 11,305.79, the FBMT 100 Index bagged 9.55 points to 11,061.38, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index inched up 0.35 of-a-point to 11,027.17.
The FBM 70 Index increased 14.55 points to 16,288.07 and the FBM ACE Index climbed 45.93 points to 4,824.64.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index expanded by 34.53 points to 18,439.83, the Energy Index gained 1.50 points to 751.80, the Industrial Products and Services Index eased by 0.73 of-a-point to 153.43, and the Plantation Index slipped by 1.56 points to 7,449.93.
The Main Market volume improved to 1.69 billion units worth RM3.91 billion from Thursday’s 1.55 billion units worth RM2.35 billion.
Warrants turnover eased to 1.35 billion units worth RM195.94 million against 1.39 billion units worth RM194.65 million previously.
The ACE Market volume surged to 1.35 billion units worth RM195.94 million from 323.95 million units worth RM93.78 million yesterday.
Consumer products and services counters accounted for 269.73 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (288.39 million), construction (133.19 million), technology (174.40 million), SPAC (nil), financial services (130.88 million), property (180.60 million), plantation (34.81 million), REITs (70.40 million), closed/fund (46,700), energy (120.70 million), healthcare (83.89 million), telecommunications and media (73.31 million), transportation and logistics (30.06 million), utilities (100.91 million), and business trusts (37,200).
Source: Bernama
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