Bursa Malaysia Lower At Midday, In Line With Regional Peers
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session lower, in line with regional peers on caution over US tariffs.
At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slipped 5.97 points, or 0.38 per cent, to 1,574.91 from Wednesday’s close of 1,580.88. The benchmark index opened 0.26 of a point lower at 1,580.62 and moved between 1,574.02 and 1,581.49 throughout the session.
On the broader market, decliners thumped gainers 582 to 277, with 471 counters unchanged, 1,010 untraded and 22 suspended. Turnover climbed to 1.91 billion shares worth RM1.09 billion.
Regional markets fell as investors became more cautious following US President Donald Trump's suggestion of a 25 per cent tariff on automobiles, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals, which might take effect as soon as April 2.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 1.46 per cent to 38,591.71, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 1.38 per cent to 22,627.51 while Singapore’s Straits Times Index fell 0.07 per cent to 3,931.09. China’s Shanghai Composite Index dipped 0.16 per cent to 3,346.09 and South Korea’s Kospi trimmed 0.66 per cent to 2,653.76.
Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd noted that “the sentiment on the local bourse remains choppy amid continuous foreign fund outflows.”
“Hence, investors should adopt a cautious approach, focusing on defensive sectors such as real estate investment trusts and banking, whereby both sectors offer attractive dividend yields and are expected to benefit from increased foot traffic in malls and stable gross domestic product growth.
“Traders can also explore opportunities in the renewable energy sector, as Malaysia aims for a 31 per cent renewable energy capacity by 2025, supported by various government initiatives like the National Energy Transition Roadmap and the Corporate Green Power Programme,” it said in a note today.
Among the heavyweights, Maybank dropped six sen to RM10.44, Public Bank trimmed five sen to RM4.49 and Tenaga Nasional slipped 10 sen to RM13.76. CIMB gained three sen to RM8.32 while IHH Healthcare was flat at RM7.21.
Among active counters, ACE Market debutant ES Sunlogy led the list, rising one sen to 31 sen. Ingenieur Gudang and TWL Holdings were flat at 5.5 sen and 2.5 sen, respectively. MYEG added two sen to RM1.02 and Hartalega gained one sen to RM2.45.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index slipped 36.12 points to 11,906.89 while the FBMT 100 Index fell 28.55 points to 11,637.25. The FBM Emas Shariah Index dropped 42.58 points to 11,579.46, the FBM 70 Index advanced 22.65 points to 17,400.22 while the FBM ACE Index lost 64.96 points to 4,942.20.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index slipped 71.38 points to 19,274.77, the Plantation Index declined 40.83 points to 7,381.57 and the Energy Index shed 6.53 points to 779.77. The Industrial Products and Services Index dipped 1.14 points to 160.91.
-- BERNAMA