Bursa Malaysia Ends Marginally Lower as Investors Stay On Sidelines
By Engku Shariful Azni Engku Ab Latif & Abdul Hamid A Rahman
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia ended marginally lower on Monday, as investors largely stayed on the sidelines and adopted a wait-and-see approach amid uncertainties over US monetary policy and geopolitical developments, an analyst said.
At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 0.38 of a point to 1,735.37 compared with last Friday’s close of 1,735.75.
The index opened 0.10 of a point higher at 1,735.85 and fluctuated between 1,730.35 and 1,738.97 throughout the day.
However, on the broader market, gainers thumped losers 707 to 447, while 573 counters were unchanged, 1,046 untraded and 21 suspended.
Turnover narrowed to 3.49 billion units valued at RM2.55 billion from 3.55 billion units valued at RM3.47 billion last Friday.
IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan said investors remained cautious despite improving expectations for a less restrictive US monetary policy following weaker US labour market data.
“The modest decline reflected a largely balanced session, with investors weighing softer rate expectations against renewed pressure from higher crude oil prices and ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.
“For now, the FBM KLCI’s marginal decline suggests investors are adopting a wait-and-see approach rather than taking significant risk,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said high crude oil prices and ongoing geopolitical uncertainties could cause near-term market volatility.
“However, resilient domestic economic conditions and continued buying of selected heavyweight stocks should provide support for the benchmark index.
“As such, we expect the FBM KLCI to trade with a mild upward bias within the 1,725–1,750 range this week, as investors remain selective and focus on fundamentally strong companies,” he told Bernama.
Among the heavyweights, IHH Healthcare gained five sen to RM8.35, both Maybank and CIMB Group inched down two sen to RM10.66 and RM7.92, respectively, Public Bank was one sen lower at RM5.18, and Tenaga Nasional was flat at RM14.40.
Of the most active stocks, Dagang NeXchange perked up three sen to 50 sen, NationGate Holdings increased 11 sen to RM1.54, HHRG rose three sen to 15 sen, V.S. Industry was one sen higher at 25 sen, while Pegasus Heights was flat at half a sen.
Malaysian Pacific Industries led the gainers list, putting on 72 sen to RM47.98, Allianz Malaysia climbed 68 sen to RM22.20, Skyechip jumped 23 sen to RM3.25, Kobay Technology garnered 22 sen to RM2.68, and Petronas Gas added 20 sen to RM17.36.
As for the top losers, Nestle erased RM1.80 sen to RM99.60, Kuala Lumpur Kepong declined RM1.06 sen to RM21.84, Dutch Lady Milk Industries slid 20 sen to RM31.80, and Petronas Chemicals Group lost 10 sen to RM4.40.
Among the broader indices, the FBM Emas Index rose 34.22 points to 12,868.47, the FBM Top 100 Index increased 23.66 points to 12,683.86, and the FBM ACE Index surged 76.37 points to 5,156.32.
The FBM Mid 70 Index advanced 146.86 points to 18,373.38 and the FBM Emas Shariah Index garnered 52.27 points to 12,715.51.
By sector, the Financial Services Index added 2.93 points to 20,419.46 and the Energy Index edged up 7.25 points to 765.64, while the Industrial Products and Services Index eased 0.16 of a point to 188.16, and the Plantation Index trimmed 20.59 points to 9,520.49.
The Main Market volume decreased to 1.76 billion units valued at RM2.21 billion compared to 1.88 billion units valued at RM3.13 billion last Friday.
Warrants turnover slipped to 1.12 billion units worth RM155.99 million versus 1.16 billion units worth RM155.13 million previously.
The ACE Market volume expanded to 591.08 million units valued at RM193.20 million from 511.75 million units valued at RM180.17 million on Friday.
Consumer products and services counters accounted for 223.34 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (346.03 million), construction (108.85 million), technology (545.61 million), financial services (48.20 million), property (198.65 million), plantation (31.26 million), real estate investment trusts (12.31 million), closed-end fund (45,200), energy (93.60 million), healthcare (45.57 million), telecommunications and media (30.27 million), transportation and logistics (49.95 million), utilities (33.37 million), and business trusts (422,600).
-- BERNAMA