Bursa Malaysia Lower At Midday, Tracking Regional Peers Amid US-China Summit Watch
KUALA LUMPUR, May 15 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia ended the morning trading session lower, tracking weaker regional market performance as investors remained cautious and kept a close watch on developments from the US-China Summit.
At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 6.11 points, or 0.35 per cent, to 1,739.47 from Thursday's close of 1,745.58.
The benchmark index, which opened 2.11 points higher at 1,747.69, moved between 1,735.51 and 1,748.85 during the session.
Market breadth was negative with losers outnumbering gainers 713 to 361, while 535 counters were unchanged, 1,119 untraded and 47 suspended.
Turnover stood at 2.36 billion units valued at RM1.65 billion.
Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd said that while the Dow Jones Index has reclaimed the 50,000-point mark, market attention remains fixed on the breakthroughs following United States President Donald Trump’s visit to China.
Meanwhile, Hong Leong Investment Bank Bhd said plantation and energy stocks dragged the index amid caution ahead of clearer signals on US-China trade relations and broader geopolitical developments.
“On the domestic front, focus is gradually shifting to the ongoing first quarter of 2026 (1Q 2026) earnings season, where investors will closely assess corporate guidance for signs of resilience amid intensifying external headwinds, including geopolitical risks, potential supply chain disruptions, elevated energy prices and slowing growth momentum,” it said in a note.
Meanwhile, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) announced that Malaysia’s economy expanded by 5.4 per cent in the 1Q 2026, slightly exceeding the advance estimate of 5.3 per cent.
The pace of growth, however, eased from the 6.3 per cent recorded in 4Q 2025.
The central bank said the 5.4 per cent growth was mainly driven by domestic demand.
Heavyweights Maybank lost six sen to RM11.12 and CIMB eased one sen to RM7.89. Public Bank rose eight sen to RM4.91 while both Tenaga Nasional and IHH Healthcare added two sen to RM14.50 and RM9.04, respectively.
Among the most active counters, AirAsia X decreased five sen to RM1.17, Top Glove inched down three sen to 80 sen and Zetrix AI slid half a sen to 84 sen, while IRIS added 12.5 sen to 30.5 sen and Genetec was one sen firmer at 34 sen.
Of the top gainers, Malaysian Pacific jumped RM1.94 to RM46.18, Gas Malaysia gained 20 sen to RM5.64, Syarikat Takaful was up 13 sen to RM3.52, while ITMAX and Fraser & Neave added 12 sen to RM4.74 and RM28.82 respectively.
As for the top losers, Nestle lost RM1.60 to RM100.80, Petronas Dagangan shed 86 sen to RM20.52, Kuala Lumpur Kepong slid 52 sen to RM20.36 and Hong Leong Industries declined 34 sen to RM18.46.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index gave up 43.80 points to 12,889.09, the FBM Top 100 Index weakened 42.67 points to 12,725.47, the FBM Emas Shariah Index contracted 75.31 points to 12,820.36, the FBM Mid 70 Index dropped 53.27 points to 18,483.64, while the FBM ACE Index advanced 11.34 points to 4,794.41.
By sector, the Financial Services Index garnered 10.85 points to 20,261.91, and the Energy Index fell 5.22 points to 794.56, the Plantation Index trimmed 102.82 points to 8,569.02, and the Industrial Products and Services Index erased 0.92 of a point to 200.34.
-- BERNAMA