FBM KLCI Ends At Intraday High On Bargain Hunting
By Siti Radziah Hamzah
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia’s benchmark index closed at its intraday high on Wednesday, supported by bargain hunting after yesterday’s sell-off, despite a mixed performance across regional markets.
At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) advanced 9.83 points, or 0.61 per cent, to 1,623.89 from Tuesday’s close of 1,614.06.
The benchmark index opened 0.62 of-a-point easier at 1,613.44 and moved within a narrow range throughout the day before late buying pushed it to finish at its intraday high.
On the broader market, decliners edged advancers 572 to 497, while 573 counters were unchanged, 1,144 untraded and 10 suspended.
Turnover rose to 4.64 billion units worth RM2.96 billion versus Tuesday’s 4.33 billion units worth RM3.20 billion.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said the key index remains supported at current levels, indicating that buying interest persists whenever the market softens.
He added that while global sentiment has been shaky due to concerns that the ongoing rally in AI-related stocks may be forming a bubble, the impact on Malaysia has so far been manageable.
“We remain watchful of these external risks, as sharp movements in global tech markets could spill over into the region. However, despite these concerns, we maintain a positive view of the local market.
“Malaysia’s valuations remain attractive, domestic conditions are stable, and investors continue to show confidence in key sectors. We anticipate the FBM KLCI to trend within the range of 1,620-1,650 for the rest of the week,” he told Bernama.
Among heavyweights, Maybank added one sen to RM9.93, Public Bank gained three sen to RM4.28, CIMB jumped 12 sen to RM7.57, IHH Healthcare advanced five sen to RM8.25, TNB was flat at RM13.18, and CelcomDigi declined eight sen to RM3.39.
On the most active list, Zetrix AI perked up 2.5 sen to 84.5 sen, Tanco rose two sen to RM1.01, PMW International inched up half-a-sen to 35 sen, Farm Fresh was flat at RM2.40, and Bumi Armada trimmed two sen to 28.5 sen.
Among the top gainers, BLD Plantation surged RM2.02 to RM12.78, United Plantations increased 96 sen to RM28, Mesiniaga soared 25 sen to RM1.30, and Bintulu Port climbed 20 sen to RM5.30.
As for the top losers, Dutch Lady dipped 70 sen to RM28.60, Fraser & Neave went down 40 sen to RM32.60, Petronas Dagangan decreased 38 sen to RM21.12, and Malayan Cement fell 22 sen to RM6.28.
On the index board, the FBMT 100 Index went up 58.42 points to 11,799.74, the FBM Emas Index improved by 55.34 points to 12,025.30, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index was 46.15 points higher at 12,014.3.
The FBM ACE Index rose 10.65 points to 4,922.75 and the FBM Mid 70 Index gained 26.72 points to 16,812.39.
Sector-wise, the Plantation Index surged 106.91 points to 8,225.53, the Financial Services Index soared 105.47 points to 18,444.06, the Industrial Products and Services Index eased 0.18 of-a-point to 165.33, and the Energy Index trimmed 2.82 points to 758.69.
The Main Market volume decreased to 1.46 billion units valued at RM2.34 billion against 1.56 billion units valued at RM2.54 billion on Tuesday.
Warrants turnover expanded to 2.47 billion units worth RM394.73 million from 2.27 billion units worth RM381.29 million yesterday.
The ACE Market volume jumped to 711.02 million units valued at RM232.33 million against 506.73 million units valued at RM186.67 million previously.
Consumer products and services counters accounted for 287.63 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (311.30 million), construction (70.70 million), technology (203.18 million), financial services (65.20 million), property (171.16 million), plantation (60.59 million), real estate investment trusts (21.54 million), closed-end fund (24,800), energy (109.59 million), healthcare (83.07 million), telecommunications and media (30.10 million), transportation and logistics (28.64 million), utilities (206.60 million), and business trusts (104,200).
-- BERNAMA
