FBM KLCI Slightly Higher At The Close

By Siti Radziah Hamzah

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia’s benchmark index ended slightly higher on Monday amid choppy trading throughout the day, lifted by mild buying interest in selected heavyweights.  

At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 1.76 points, or 0.11 per cent, to 1,627.43 from Friday’s close of 1,625.67.

The benchmark opened 1.80 points higher at 1,627.47 and fluctuated between 1,626.23 and 1,633.84 throughout the trading session.

Market breadth was negative, with decliners outpacing advancers 604 to 482, while 560 counters were unchanged, 1,092 untraded and 11 suspended.

Turnover rose to 3.77 billion units worth RM2.47 billion against Friday’s 3.64 billion units worth RM2.68 billion. 

SPI Asset Management managing partner Stephen Innes said the FBM KLCI inched higher today, but the tone is more a “holding pattern” than a breakout.

He added that the Malaysian bourse was essentially drifting with the regional tide - modestly firmer, yet restrained - as investors remain reluctant to take on meaningful risk ahead of a heavy slate of delayed US economic data.

“With the US Federal Reserve’s policy outlook clouded by a more hawkish run of recent remarks, global sentiment has turned cautious, and Bursa Malaysia is mirroring that mood. It’s a session where external cues such as global yields, dollar direction, and China’s market tone matter more than domestic catalyst,” he told Bernama.

Innes said that beneath the surface, the same cross-currents remain in play: commodity-linked names are stabilising the index, while broader buying remains shallow as institutional investors prefer to wait for clarity.

“Regional markets have been similarly subdued, leaving Malaysia neither underperforming nor leading, just navigating the same low-conviction environment. In that sense, today’s uptick says less about local enthusiasm and more about investors keeping positions steady until the US data drop provides a clearer macro compass,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said comments made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Taiwan had elevated the geopolitical tension in the East Asian region.

“On the bright side, buying activities are seen in emerging markets, which provide cheaper valuations amidst the strengthening of local currencies against the US dollar.

“On the domestic front, the benchmark index is hovering around the 1,630 level, and we reckon a clear breakthrough above this level will pave the way towards the 1,650 level. We anticipate the FBM KLCI to trend within the range of 1,620-1,650 for the week,” he added.

Among heavyweights, Public Bank added 1.0 sen to RM4.30, CIMB firmed 8.0 sen to RM7.61, Press Metal increased 3.0 sen to RM6.46, Hong Leong Bank added 4.0 sen to RM21, Maybank shed 1.0 sen to RM9.92, TNB declined 14 sen to RM13.28 and IHH Healthcare went down 7.0 sen to RM8.20.

On the most active list, Tanco picked up 1.0 sen to 96.5 sen, Perak Transit was higher by 2.0 sen to 28.5 sen, OCR Group was flat at 4.0 sen and MMAG fell 1.5 sen to 6.0 sen.

Among the top gainers, Malaysian Pacific Industries climbed 80 sen to RM31.50, Fraser & Neave jumped 56 sen to RM33.02, United Plantation was up 50 sen to RM26.80 and Hong Leong Industries widened by 30 sen to RM15.10. 

As for the top losers, Kuala Lumpur Kepong and Nestle trimmed 50 sen each to RM20.76 and RM113 respectively, Bintulu Port shaved 34 sen to RM5.01, Malayan Cement tumbled 16 sen to RM6.54 and SAM Engineering & Equipment reduced 15 sen to RM4.31.

On the index board, the FBMT 100 Index gained 17.58 points to 11,840.64, the FBM Emas Index went up 18.24 points to 12,073.09, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index improved by 14.87 points to 12,074.04. 

The FBM ACE Index bagged 31.51 points to 5,015.27, and the FBM Mid 70 Index was 45.75 points higher at 16,936.62. 

Sector-wise, the Plantation Index erased 21.94 points to 8,118.14, the Financial Services Index accumulated 64.78 points to 18,496.12, the Industrial Products and Services Index added 0.30 of-a-point to 167.29, while the Energy Index bounced 5.39 points to 761.00. 

The Main Market volume narrowed to 1.27 billion units valued at RM1.96 billion against Friday’s 1.38 billion units valued at RM2.23 billion.

Warrants turnover increased to 2.02 billion units worth RM366.90 million from 1.90 billion units worth RM305.93 million previously.

The ACE Market volume decreased to 478.72 million units valued at RM137.79 million from 348.77 million units valued at RM143.45 million. 

Consumer products and services counters accounted for 250.43 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (198.86 million), construction (94.87 million), technology (136.10 million), financial services (56.39 million), property (218.48 million), plantation (28.13 million), real estate investment trusts (11.67 million), closed-end fund (7,100), energy (53.99 million), healthcare (108.95 million), telecommunications and media (35.83 million), transportation and logistics (40.37 million), utilities (35.88 million), and business trusts (395,100).

-- BERNAMA