Bursa Malaysia Settles Higher At Midday
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia ended the morning trading session higher in tandem with regional peers amid persistent buying in heavyweight stocks, led by Maybank, CIMB and YTL Power, that continued to lift the barometer index.
At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 3.45 points, or 0.20 per cent, to 1,691.35 from Monday’s close of 1,687.90.
The benchmark index, which opened 6.39 points firmer at 1,694.29, moved between 1,683.98 and 1,695.77 during the session.
In the broader market, gainers pipped losers 461 to 453, while a total of 498 counters were unchanged, 1,255 untraded and 60 suspended.
Turnover stood at 1.96 billion units valued at RM1.48 billion.
Apex Securities Bhd said global markets remain on edge as elevated oil prices and ongoing geopolitical tensions reinforce a more persistent inflation outlook, dampening expectations for near-term monetary easing despite US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell’s view that inflation expectations remain well anchored and policy should “look through” short-term energy volatility.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said the US is in “serious discussions” with a “new, and more reasonable” regime to end military operations in Iran, offering some hope of de-escalation, but also warned that failure to reach a deal “shortly” and reopen the Strait of Hormuz “immediately” could result in the US “completely” destroying Iran’s key energy infrastructure.
“That said, Iran has denied any direct talks, and the lack of concrete progress continues to cap risk appetite.
“Against this backdrop, Malaysia’s market outlook is expected to remain cautious, with sentiment staying fragile despite continued foreign net inflows, as investors favour defensive and commodity-linked sectors while remaining sensitive to external risks and oil price movements,” Apex Securities said.
Echoing this view, Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd said the FBM KLCI is expected to trend between the 1,685-1,700 range today.
Among the heavyweights, Maybank rose 16 sen to RM11.36, CIMB and YTL Power added 11 sen each to RM7.59 and RM3.01, respectively, Public Bank was flat at RM4.66, and Tenaga Nasional fell 16 sen to RM14.00.
On the most active list, Top Glove gained three sen to 66 sen, Zetrix AI and Sunway Healthcare eased two sen each to 73.5 sen and RM2.07, respectively, and Bumi Armada edged up 1.5 sen to 34.5 sen.
Of the top gainers, United Plantations and Fraser & Neave surged 36 sen each to RM33.96 and RM30.36, respectively, Malaysian Pacific climbed 34 sen to RM28.66, and Hong Leong Financial increased 22 sen to RM19.12.
As for the top losers, Nestle declined 40 sen to RM98.60, Petronas Dagangan fell 34 sen to RM21.82, Sunway slid 21 sen to RM4.99, and Petronas Gas was 18 sen weaker at RM18.04.
On the index board, the FBM Top 100 Index advanced 28.43 points to 12,181.61, the FBM Emas Shariah Index slipped 12.60 points to 12,139.65, and the FBM Emas Index rose 33.10 points to 12,311.83.
The FBM 70 Index grew 54.86 points to 16,872.11, while the FBM ACE Index dropped 2.50 points to 4,242.29.
By sector, the Industrial Products and Services Index inched down 1.99 points to 183.18, the Plantation Index reduced 25.81 points to 8,990.73, and the Energy Index shaved off 8.69 points to 799.35. However, the Financial Services Index strengthened 148.92 points to 19,998.03.
-- BERNAMA