BURSA MALAYSIA TERUSKAN KENAIKAN, TERAJU PRESTASI PASARAN ASIA

By Abdul Hamid A Rahman

KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia continued to rise for the third consecutive day today, driven by renewed investor confidence and a strategic realignment, said UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors Sdn Bhd Head of Investment Research Mohd Sedek Jantan.

He said Malaysia emerged as the best performing market in Asia today, highlighting its increasing resilience and attractiveness among investors.

At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 1.16 per cent or 17.68 points to end at a daily high of 1,535.73 from 1,518.05 at the close on Wednesday.

The benchmark index opened 4.97 points lower at 1,513.08 and later declined to a daily low of 1,512.81 before moving on an upward trajectory throughout the trade.

In the broader market, gainers outnumbered losers by 533 to 380 while 456 counters were unchanged, 1,100 were untraded and 160 others were suspended from trading.

Trading volume declined to 2.52 billion units worth RM2.41 billion from 3.11 billion units worth RM2.46 billion on Wednesday.

According to Mohd Sedek, the FBM KLCI maintained its upward momentum throughout the day, reversing the trend recorded in recent days.

"This strength continues despite lingering market concerns over the potential impact of auto tariffs proposed by US President Donald Trump -- a policy that could disrupt global supply chains," he told Bernama.

He said today's momentum remained strong until the end of trading -- an indication of renewed investor confidence or a reshuffle of strategies.

“After two sessions testing the 1,520 resistance level, the index broke through both the 1,520 and 1,527 levels -- with the 1,527 level marking the previous high on March 17, 2025 -- displaying a significant improvement in investor sentiment.

"Liquidity is sustainable despite cautious sentiment and continued foreign outflows, reflecting the market remaining fundamentally active while domestic investors are entering the market to offset external pressures -- a trend worth monitoring," he said.

He said that to further strengthen this resilience, Bank Negara Malaysia published the Financial Stability Outlook for the Second Half of 2024 earlier this week, which confirmed the resilience of the banking sector amidst the ongoing financial market uncertainty.

"This assessment by the central bank increases confidence in the Malaysian financial system, indicating that the sector remains well-capitalized and able to withstand external shocks," he said.

For heavyweights, Tenaga Nasional rose 24.0 sen to RM13.56, Maybank added 18.0 sen to RM10.36, IHH Healthcare rose 10.0 sen to RM6.91, CIMB Group added 9.0 sen to RM7.13 and Public Bank rose 2.0 sen to RM4.49.

For active stocks, Gamuda increased 31.0 sen to RM4.32, Pos Malaysia added 6.0 sen to 25.5 sen while MY EG Services fell half a sen to 92 sen, Axiata Group fell 3.0 sen to RM1.84 and Pertama Digital fell 2.5 sen to 11 sen.

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index jumped 118.87 points to 11,496.19, the FBMT 100 Index rose 123.11 points to 11,257.55, the FBM Emas Shariah Index added 124.31 points to 11,248.15, the FBM 70 Index increased 154.36 points to 16,472.83, and the FBM ACE Index increased 25.56 points to 4,757.39.

By sector, the Financial Services Index jumped 189.77 points to 18,671.75, the Industrial Products and Services Index rose 1.92 points to 154.98, the Energy Index increased 6.69 points to 759.43 while the Plantation Index decreased 12.90 points to 7,441.31.

Main Market trading volume decreased to 1.20 billion units worth RM2.14 billion from 1.22 billion units worth RM2.07 billion on Wednesday.

Warrant trading volume decreased to 1.03 billion units worth RM168.18 million compared to 1.51 billion units worth RM261.42 million yesterday.

ACE Market trading volume decreased to 285.39 million units worth RM101.15 million from 370.39 million units worth RM123.36 million previously.

Consumer products and services counters accounted for 172.44 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (147.20 million), construction (127.32 million), technology (140.67 million), SPACs (nil), financial services (141.60 million), real estate (104.22 million), plantations (17.68 million), REITs (8.25 million), closed-end funds (53,100), energy (72.92 million), healthcare (85.39 million), telecommunications and media (53.43 million), transportation and logistics (47.28 million), utilities (86.11 million), and business trusts (21,900).

-- BERNAMA