Bursa Malaysia Closes Mixed, CI Ekes Out Small Gain On Bargain Hunting

By Rosemarie Khoo Mohd Sani and Danni Haizal Danial Donald

KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia ended the week mixed with the benchmark index climbing 0.08 per cent, as bargain hunting emerged following the recent sell-off, said an analyst.

At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 1.30 points to 1,502.74 from Thursday’s close of 1,501.44.

The benchmark index opened 0.50 of-a-point lower at 1,500.94 and moved between 1,500.04 and 1,507.97 throughout the trading session.

However, the broader market was negative, with 517 decliners outpacing 319 gainers, while 505 counters were unchanged, 1,083 untraded and 25 suspended.

Turnover dropped to 2.60 billion units worth RM3.37 billion compared with Thursday’s 2.81 billion units valued at RM1.69 billion.  

Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said major regional indices namely Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index and Singapore’s Straits Times Index were also in positive territory after China kept benchmark interest rates unchanged.

“Technology-driven Asian indices were the standout performers, buoyed by a rebound in investor confidence and a recovery in the sector,” he told Bernama.

Thong also said United States (US) President Donald Trump has delayed his decision on potential US involvement in the Middle East conflict by two weeks, providing markets with short-term relief.

“As for the local bourse, we see that the benchmark index is well supported above the 1,500 points; however, it is not yet out of the danger zone unless it can climb above 1,515 points,” Thong said.

Meanwhile, UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors Sdn Bhd’s head of investment research Mohd Sedek Jantan said the FBM KLCI remained broadly stable throughout the trading day, marking a weekly decline of 16 points from last Friday’s close of 1,518.11 points.

He said the negative return reflects a volatile week shaped by rising geopolitical risks and cautious investor sentiment.

“Despite today’s intraday rebound, the broader week-on-week performance underscores prevailing uncertainty in the market,” he said.

On the macroeconomic front, Mohd Sedek noted that the data from the Department of Statistics showed a a month-on-month decline in both Malaysia's imports and exports in May, potentially indicating weakening global demand or ongoing supply chain disruptions.

“Notably, exports to the US fell by 2.8 per cent from RM19.2 billion to RM18.7 billion. However, this contraction was not uniform; only four of Malaysia’s top ten export destinations—namely China, the European Union, Taiwan, and Vietnam—registered positive growth,” said Mohd Sedek.

Among the heavyweights, Maybank rose 6.0 sen to RM9.66, Tenaga and IHH Healthcare remained unchanged at RM14.22 and RM6.85 respectively, Public Bank gained 2.0 sen to RM4.21, and CIMB advanced 7.0 sen to RM6.65.

For the most active stocks, PUC and MYEG were flat each at 2.0 sen and 90.5 sen respectively, Tanco declined 1.5 sen to 94.0 sen, MR DIY slid 1.0 sen to RM1.63, and YTL Corporation dropped 4.0 sen to RM2.12.

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index perked up 5.25 points to 11,228.99, the FBMT 100 Index increased 11.44 points to 11,015.45, while the FBM Emas Shariah Index declined 31.55 points to 11,201.34.

The FBM 70 Index added 24.30 points to 16,117.75 and the FBM ACE Index dropped 14.20 points to 4,400.85.

By sector, the Financial Services Index soared 138.24 points to 17,468.38 and the Industrial Products and Services Index slid 0.97 of-a-point to 147.27. The Plantation Index improved 1.91 points to 7,220.52 while the Energy Index eased by 3.94 points to 735.71.

The Main Market volume swelled to 1.64 billion units valued at RM3.22 billion from 1.13 billion units worth RM1.45 billion registered at Thursday’s close.

Warrants turnover tumbled to 634.80 million units worth RM82.94 million versus 1.38 billion units worth RM164.26 million previously. 

The ACE Market volume expanded to 331.19 million units valued at RM73.43 million against 294.93 million units worth RM81.53 million yesterday.

Consumer products and services counters accounted for 280.39 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (230.16 million), construction (79.20 million), technology (191.47 million), SPAC (nil), financial services (131.23 million), property (166.28 million), plantation (35.12 million), REITs (78.05 million), closed end fund (7,300), energy (150.50 million), healthcare (103.21 million), telecommunications and media (79.02 million), transportation and logistics (21.27 million), utilities (95.82 million), and business trusts (66,200).

-- BERNAMA