Bursa Malaysia’s Key Index Ends Higher Near 16-Month Peak
By Anas Abu Hassan
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 29 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia’s key index recovered from intraday losses to close 0.23 per cent higher on Monday, edging closer to a 16-month peak amid steady institutional demand.
At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI rose 3.89 points to 1,680.99, from last Friday’s close of 1,677.10.
The benchmark index previously reached a peak of 1,684.68 on August 29, 2024.
The index opened 0.21 of-a-point higher at 1,677.31 but trended lower through the morning session, sliding to an intraday low of 1,668.48. It regained momentum in the final hour of trade to close at its session high.
The broader market, however, was weaker, with decliners outpacing gainers 646 to 369, while 569 counters were unchanged, 1,149 untraded and 58 suspended.
Turnover rose to 2.03 billion units worth RM1.79 billion, from 1.59 billion units worth RM1.29 billion last Friday.
IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan said the FBM KLCI opened the final trading week of 2025 on a softer footing, reflecting the usual year-end lull in market activity.
“The index recovered from intraday losses and closed up 0.23 per cent in the final hour, supported by steady institutional demand. Among FBM KLCI constituents, utilities stocks led gains, providing a defensive bid that helped stabilise the broader market as risk appetite remained selective,” he told Bernama.
Mohd Sedek noted that trading volumes remained subdued, well below the daily three billion shares average, as investors reduced activity during the holiday period.
“This softer liquidity environment is typical for late December and does not indicate a deterioration in underlying market conditions,” he said, adding that domestic support continues to anchor the market as 2025 draws to a close.
Among heavyweight counters, Maybank rose four sen to RM10.44, CIMB added eight sen to RM8.23, Public Bank eased one sen to RM4.51, Tenaga Nasional gained 22 sen to RM13.88, and IHH slipped three sen to RM8.56.
On the most active list, Pharmaniaga was unchanged at 30 sen, Tanco rose one sen to RM1.14, Insight Analytics gained 13 sen to RM1.08, NexG fell three sen to 13.5 sen, and VS Industry added half a sen to 48 sen.
Top gainers included BLD Plantation, up RM1.46 to RM15.88, Nestle and Dutch Lady, each rising 70 sen to RM115.70 and RM30.80 respectively, PLB Engineering, up 11.5 sen to 91.5 sen, and Chin Hin, up 11 sen to RM2.44.
Among top losers, Hong Leong Industries slipped 16 sen to RM16.40, Allianz lost 14 sen to RM20.20, Frontken fell 12 sen to RM4.15, Magna Prima eased 11.5 sen to 57.5 sen, and Telekom Malaysia lost 11 sen to RM7.96.
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