KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia ended the morning trading session slightly lower, weighed down by selling pressure in selected heavyweight counters, particularly in the utilities, transportation, and healthcare sectors.
At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) edged down 0.54 of a point to 1,753.47, compared with Tuesday’s close of 1,754.01.
The benchmark had opened 1.35 points higher at 1,755.36, and fluctuated between 1,746.04 and 1,755.36 during the session.
Decliners outnumbered gainers 485 to 434 in the broader market, while 493 counters were unchanged, 1,357 untraded, and 116 suspended.
The market turnover totalled 1.33 billion shares valued at RM1.1 billion.
Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd reckons that the local bourse would turn positive following the overnight rebound on Wall Street.
“Buying interest is likely to spill over into the glove sector after encouraging results from Hartalega Holdings Bhd and Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd.
“Meanwhile, regional supply disruptions and mounting operational challenges faced by Chinese glove manufacturers are also expected to provide near-term tailwinds for domestic players,” it said in a research note.
Among heavyweights, Maybank was unchanged at RM12.38, while Public Bank added one sen to RM5.10, and CIMB Group rose seven sen to RM8.51. Tenaga Nasional gained two sen to RM14.12, while IHH Healthcare dropped six sen to RM9.02.
On the most active list, ACE Market debutant Teamstar slid three sen to 23 sen, Zetrix AI edged down half-a-sen to 80.5 sen, and Astro Malaysia slipped one sen to eight sen. Tanco added one sen to RM1.51, and Bina Puri was flat at 29.5 sen.
Top gainers included Malaysian Pacific Industries, which advanced 46 sen to RM31.68, while Petronas Dagangan rose 44 sen to RM21.84, and Sunway Construction gained 31 sen to RM6.90. United Plantations grew 28 sen to RM29.90, and Hong Leong Financial added 18 sen to RM22.00.
Nestle led the decliners, dropping RM1.80 to RM109.20, while Petronas Gas lost 90 sen to RM17.70, and Kuala Lumpur Kepong fell 32 sen to RM19.28. Globaltec dived 30 sen to 70 sen, and Gas Malaysia eased 16 sen to RM4.59.
On the index board, the FBMT100 Index declined 5.27 points to 12,669.63, the FBM Emas Index slipped 5.65 points to 12,846.12, and the FBM70 Index dropped 13.43 points to 17,735.29. The FBM Emas Shariah Index fell 18.08 points to 12,328.82, and the FBM ACE Index eased 0.80 of-a-point to 4,811.33.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index added 40.25 points to 21,754.55, the Plantation Index slipped 6.85 points to 8,387.22, and the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 0.75 of-a-point to 174.36.
The Energy Index dipped 0.59 of-a-point to 766.35.
-- BERNAMA
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