Bursa Malaysia Remains Lower At Midday
KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia remained lower at midday on Monday due to a lack of buying interest as investors remain cautious on the United States-Iran peace talks.
At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slid by 0.21 per cent, or 3.67 points, to 1,708.36 from Friday's close of 1,712.03.
The benchmark index opened 1.56 points lower at 1,710.47 and moved between 1,706.61 and 1,712.32 throughout the morning session.
Market breadth was negative, with decliners outnumbering gainers 503 to 415.
A total of 552 counters were unchanged, 1,245 were untraded, and 14 were suspended.
Turnover amounted to 1.84 billion units worth RM1.12 billion.
Hong Leong Investment Bank Bhd (HLIB) said the benchmark index is likely to stay range-bound amid headline-driven volatility, as markets track US-Iran peace talks in Switzerland alongside a reassessment of a more hawkish US Federal Reserve (Fed) stance.
It said in a note that lingering uncertainty over the economic fallout from months of conflict is also expected to keep risk appetite subdued.
“Domestically, sentiment remains cautious, weighed by a weaker ringgit, rising political risk premiums ahead of state elections in Johor (July 11) and Negeri Sembilan (August 1), alongside speculation of an early general election.
“Collectively, these headwinds are likely to cap upside near the 1,732 level of resistance,” it said.
Among the heavyweights, PPB Group slipped 48 sen to RM9.64, Petronas Chemicals Group dropped nine sen to RM4.40, IOI Corporation fell seven sen to RM4.26, IOI Properties Group declined four sen to RM4.11, and Press Metal Aluminium (PMetal) was eight sen easier at RM8.45.
Of the most active stocks, Tanco edged down one sen to 13 sen, Dagang Nexchange and SKP Resources added half a sen each to 47 sen and 28.5 sen, respectively. Zetrix AI rose 1.5 sen to 79.5 sen, and GIIB shrank four sen to 42.5 sen.
Meanwhile, in a filing with Bursa Malaysia, Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Bhd (AJI) noted that its shares will resume trading at 9 am tomorrow, June 23, 2026, after Bursa Malaysia approved its request for suspension from 9 am to 5 pm today, June 22, 2026.
Among the top gainers, Skyechip increased 23 sen to RM3.32, Dutchlady Milk Industries (DLady) rose 20 sen to RM32.70, TMK Chemical gained 14 sen to RM2.68, Batu Kawan improved 12 sen to RM20.80 and MNRB added 11 sen to RM2.69.
As for the top losers, Malaysian Pacific Industries contracted RM1.02 to RM48.88, Nestle declined 68 sen to RM95.54, United Plantations and PPB Group shed 48 sen each to RM32.18 and RM9.64, respectively, and Allianz Malaysia gave up 42 sen to RM21.18.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index reduced 35.28 points to 12,645.77, the FBM Top 100 Index weakened 35.89 points to 12,483.73, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index fell 38.65 points to 12,520.01.
The FBM Mid 70 Index retreated 90.57 points to 18,072.01, while the FBM ACE Index shed 10.45 points to 4,782.07.
By sector, the Plantation Index improved 28.05 points to 8,901.27, but the Financial Services Index notched down 90.80 points to 20,113.78, the Industrial Products and Services Index eased 0.06 of a point to 190.51, and the Energy Index slid 3.71 points to 762.56.
-- BERNAMA
