Bursa Malaysia Ends Morning Session Lower On Selling Pressure
KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session lower as continued selling on selected heavyweights, led by the industrial products and services and utilities counters, weighed on market sentiment.
At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 2.16 points or 0.12 per cent, to 1,710.51, from Friday’s close of 1,712.67.
The benchmark index opened 1.24 points lower at 1,711.43, and moved between 1,705.94 and 1,713.50 during the session.
Market breadth was negative with losers surpassing gainers 571 to 351, while 525 counters were unchanged, 1,251 untraded and 63 suspended.
Turnover stood at 1.69 billion units valued at RM1.43 billion.
Hong Leong Investment Bank Bhd said the investors remain cautious ahead of the peak first-quarter 2026 earnings season, rising domestic political noise, including speculation of snap state polls and continued foreign outflows.
“We opine that the FBM KLCI is poised to stabilise, supported by easing bond yields, falling oil prices, and improving sentiment surrounding United States (US)–Iran negotiations after President Donald Trump described the talks as “constructive.”
“Despite near-term volatility, we remain cautiously constructive on Malaysia, supported by its net oil exporter status, resilient trade linkages, exposure to the global tech upcycle, and a supportive fiscal backdrop,” it said in a note today.
Among heavyweights, Petronas Chemicals lost 29 sen to RM5.41, YTL Corp and Sunway Healthcare each dropped five sen to RM2.06 and RM1.76 respectively, Maybank gained six sen to RM11.06, and Public Bank slipped one sen to RM4.76.
As for the active stocks, Zetrix AI rose two sen to 81.5 sen, EI Power and SFP Tech Holdings gained 1.5 sen each to 64 sen and 23 sen, respectively, Skyechip added 16 sen to RM2.86, and AirAsia X climbed six sen to RM1.18.
Among the top gainers included MI Technovation, which jumped 36 sen to RM4.56, UMS Integration advanced 23 sen to RM8.40, VSTECS garnered 22 sen to RM6.11, while Pentamaster and Malayan Cement were 16 sen higher at RM4.54 and RM7.02, respectively.
Of the top losers, Malaysian Pacific Industries fell 54 sen to RM47.96, Nestle lost 50 sen to RM95.10, Kuala Lumpur Kepong dropped 30 sen to RM19.94, and Fraser & Neave slipped 26 sen to RM28.74.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index sank 20.46 points to 12,685.77, the FBM Top 100 Index slid 22.48 points to 12,524.28, the FBM Emas Shariah Index shrank 30.85 points to 12,613.32, and the FBM Mid 70 Index declined 61.35 points to 18,236.95, while the FBM ACE Index eased 0.38 of a point to 4,725.59.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index rose 19.90 points to 20,017.09, while the Industrial Products and Services Index slipped 2.41 points to 198.22, the Energy Index lost 5.04 points to 787.51, and the Plantation Index decreased 24.64 points to 8,559.63.
-- BERNAMA
