Bursa Malaysia Climbs To Fresh 6-year High On Sustained Buying Interest
By Nurunnasihah Ahmad Rashid
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia’s benchmark index extended its upward momentum to close at a fresh six-year high today, supported by sustained buying interest in heavyweight and plantation stocks, in tandem with stronger performances across regional markets.
At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 8.90 points, or 0.53 per cent, to 1,695.44 from last Friday’s close of 1,686.54. The index surpassed its previous peak of 1,693.99 recorded on March 4, 2019.
The market barometer opened 0.53 of-a-point higher at 1,687.07 and traded within a range of 1,686.57 to 1,697.78 throughout the session.
Market breadth was positive, with gainers outpacing losers 641 to 467, while some 534 counters were unchanged, 1,008 untraded, and 55 suspended.
Turnover was higher at 3.09 billion units worth RM2.72 billion from last Friday’s 2.83 billion units worth RM2.75 billion.
IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan said the FBM KLCI has now closed above its pre-pandemic level, marking a full recovery from the COVID-19 shock.
He said Bursa Malaysia began the week on a firm footing, with the FBM KLCI, FBM Mid 70 Index and the FBM Small Cap Index extending their upward momentum amid improved regional risk appetite, underpinned by strong domestic economic data released last Friday that reinforced investor confidence in Malaysia’s growth outlook.
“With the advance estimate of the fourth-quarter 2025 gross domestic product due for release this Friday, we expect growth of about five per cent, putting the full-year 2025 expansion at around 4.8 per cent, reinforcing the case for a resilient and domestically driven recovery,” he told Bernama.
Meanwhile, Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said key regional indices ended higher, led by gains in China’s artificial intelligence-related stocks amid rising optimism over the sector and firmer local currencies against the US dollar.
“Looking ahead, the FBM KLCI index is edging closer to the 1,700 level, which will be an important test. For the moment, we anticipate it to trend within the range of 1,680-1,700 for the week,” he added.
Among the heavyweights, Maybank rose eight sen to RM10.94, Public Bank gained one sen to RM4.59, CIMB firmed six sen to RM8.21, Tenaga Nasional advanced four sen to RM13.60, and IHH Healthcare improved two sen to RM8.55.
On the most active list, Zetrix AI and Capital A were 1.5 sen higher at 84.5 sen and 42 sen, respectively. Ingenieur gained one sen to four sen, while MMAG inched down half-a-sen to six sen, and Tanco dropped four sen to RM1.19.
Of the top gainers, United Plantations jumped RM1.68 to RM35.00, Fraser & Neave advanced 66 sen to RM36.66, Petronas Dagangan perked up 50 sen to RM20.68, Hong Leong Financial Group climbed 34 sen to RM20.08, and Dutch Lady gained 30 sen to RM31.24.
As for the top decliners, Nestle dropped RM1.0 to RM120, Malaysian Pacific Industries slipped 32 sen to RM32.98, Far East Holdings lost 30 sen to RM4.10, BLD Plantation dipped 20 sen to RM15.60, and Vitrox shed 14 sen to RM4.55.
-- BERNAMA