Continued Buying In Financial Heavyweights Lifts Bursa Malaysia At Midday
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 (Bernama) -- Persistent buying interest in financial heavyweights continued to boost Bursa Malaysia at midday, further supported by the ringgit’s steady performance against the US dollar.
At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose by 10.85 points, or 0.62 per cent, to 1,750.67, compared with Monday’s close of 1,741.26.
The benchmark index had opened 6.82 points higher at 1,748.08 and moved between 1,752.53 and 1,743.63 throughout the morning trading session.
The broader market was positive with gainers thumping losers 621 to 258, while 424 counters were unchanged, 1,434 counters untraded, and 11 suspended.
Market turnover stood at 1.13 billion shares worth RM1.20 billion.
In a research note, Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd said steady ringgit performance has spurred trading interest in banking and consumer heavyweights.
At 12.30 pm, the ringgit stood at 3.9140/9190 against the US dollar.
“Despite the stronger currency being seen as a headwind for export players, we believe Malaysian glove makers could benefit in the near term as regional supply disruptions and operational challenges persist.
“This is due to Chinese players facing production hiccups in Indonesia, which may delay operations until the end of the first quarter of 2026,” it said.
Among index heavyweights, Maybank gained six sen to RM12, CIMB added seven sen to RM8.45 and IHH Healthcare rose eight sen to RM8.90, while Tenaga Nasional slipped 16 sen to RM14.26 and Public Bank was flat at RM5.05.
On the most active list, Zetrix AI shed one sen to 84 sen, and Tanco advanced one sen to RM1.44. Bina Puri eased half-a-sen to 29.5 sen, 99 Speed Mart slipped 17 sen to RM3.56, while Capital A expanded 1.5 sen to 61 sen.
Top gainers Malaysian Pacific Industries added 92 sen to RM30.90, Nestle increased 70 sen to RM110, Petronas Dagangan bagged 34 sen to RM20.96, Allianz Malaysia garnered 30 sen to RM22.56, and Hong Leong Industries climbed 26 sen to RM19.26.
Besides 99 Speed Mart and Tenaga Nasional, other top decliners were Dutch Lady Milk and Bintulu Port, which fell 20 sen each to RM33.08 and RM5.30, respectively, while Teo Guan Lee Corp lost seven sen to 83 sen.
On the index board, the FBM Top 100 Index expanded 93.36 points to 12,672.58, the FBM Emas Index rose 97.69 points to 12,854.24, the FBM Mid 70 Index increased 198.16 points to 17,796.75, the FBM Emas Shariah Index recovered 103.87 points to 12,412.97, and the FBM ACE Index added 19.10 points to 4,791.89.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index surged 144.63 points to 21,503.05, the Plantation Index was 46.72 points higher at 8,407.07, the Energy Index gained 15.12 points to 769.94, and the Industrial Products and Services Index inched up 1.36 points to 178.62.
-- BERNAMA
