Bursa Malaysia's Key Index Ends Morning Session Higher
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia’s key index ended the morning session higher, supported by bargain hunting in selected blue-chip stocks amid cautious regional sentiment.
At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 4.53 points to 1,620.13 from last Friday’s close of 1,615.60.
The benchmark index, which opened 2.39 points easier at 1,613.21, moved between 1,607.15 and 1,623.33 during the session.
Market breadth continued to be negative with losers surpassing gainers 723 to 251, while 443 counters were unchanged, 1,306 untraded, and 11 suspended.
Turnover stood at 1.65 billion units worth RM1.01 billion.
Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd said the FBM KLCI could trade cautiously amid weaker global technology sentiment, although fresh corporate developments in the telecommunications and plantation sectors could present stock-specific opportunities.
In a note today, it said CelcomDigi Bhd could attract investor interest after securing spectrum assignments from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission for the 2,600MHz and 900MHz bands on Oct 30, which would strengthen its network capacity and coverage, although the assignments would entail additional spectrum costs.
Meanwhile, Ta Ann Holdings Bhd could also attract interest following its strong production performance in the third quarter of financial year 2026, with crude palm oil (CPO) output rising 23 per cent year-on-year to 97,610 tonnes and fresh fruit bunch output increasing 30 per cent to 236,443 tonnes, the stockbroking firm said.
In its note, Apex Securities Bhd said the plantation sector could see continued support as CPO futures climbed on stronger crude oil prices, lifting the biodiesel demand outlook, even as elevated inventory levels cap the upside.
Among the heavyweight stocks, Maybank fell three sen to RM9.99, Tenaga Nasional decreased four sen to RM13.26, and CIMB eased one sen to RM6.90; while Public Bank added four sen to RM4.79 and IHH Healthcare was flat at RM7.85.
Meanwhile, among the heavyweight telecommunications counters, CelcomDigi Bhd rose 10 sen to RM2.64, while Axiata Group Bhd, Maxis Bhd and Telekom Malaysia Bhd gained five sen each to RM1.69, RM3.61 and RM7.98, respectively.
In the plantation sector, IOI Corporation Bhd advanced six sen to RM4.50, while SD Guthrie Bhd and Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd rose four sen each to RM5.87 and RM21.00, respectively.
Among the most active stocks, Zetrix AI eased half a sen to six sen, GIIB Holdings gained 10 sen to 46 sen, Ni Hsin bagged three sen to 29 sen, and VS Industry edged up half a sen to 33.5 sen. Nexgram was flat at six sen.
Mega Fortris led the top gainers, surging 51 sen to RM2.73, while MISC and Petronas Dagangan jumped 28 sen each to RM8.53 and RM19.78, respectively. Westports soared 19 sen to RM7.04 and Seremban Engineering climbed 13 sen to 70 sen.
Among the top losers, MPI fell 36 sen to RM39.42, Vitrox erased 38 sen to RM10.52, Dutch Lady slid 60 sen to RM28.30, Batu Kawan dropped 30 sen to RM19.20, and Mi Technovation lost 20 sen to RM6.33.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index rose 9.21 points to 12,070.94 and the FBM Top 100 Index advanced 12.65 points to 11,876.52.
The FBM Emas Shariah Index was 16.78 points higher at 12,099.69, while the FBM ACE Index decreased 64.40 points to 5,339.51 and the FBM Mid 70 Index gave up 67.71 points to 17,352.97.
Sector-wise, the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 0.52 of a point to 178.89, the Financial Services Index strengthened 26.10 points to 18,574.10 and the Plantation Index added 23.58 points to 8,721.00, but the Energy Index slipped 11.21 points to 840.95.
-- BERNAMA