BURSA MALAYSIA ENDS MARGINALLY LOWER ON PROFIT-TAKING, BUCKING REGIONAL TREND

By Karina Imran

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia closed marginally lower on Thursday on profit-taking after previous strong gains, bucking the regional trend, an analyst said. 

The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 2.06 points, or 0.12 per cent, to settle at 1,671.32 from Wednesday's close. The FBM KLCI, which opened  3.19 points lower at 1,670.19, moved between 1,666.19 and 1,672.60 throughout the day.

On the broader market, decliners outnumbered gainers by 582 to 525 while 493 counters were unchanged, 916 untraded and 51 suspended. Turnover dropped to 3.13 billion units worth RM2.84 billion from Wednesday's 3.59 billion units worth RM3.29 billion. 

UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors head of investment research Mohd Sedek Jantan said the local bourse was weighed down by selling pressure on select heavyweight counters, mirroring the performance of US equities overnight, which saw a modest pullback from their recent record highs. However, most regional indices managed to end the day higher, buoyed by optimism around the potential spillover effects of China’s recently announced stimulus package.

"Consumer and banking stocks led the gains among FBM KLCI components, driven by a favourable combination of low inflation and a strengthening ringgit, which is expected to enhance consumer purchasing power and boost corporate earnings. 

"Furthermore, despite the broader bearish sentiment, several sectors within Bursa Malaysia showed resilience, with the Bursa Malaysia consumer, ACE, and healthcare indices all registering positive growth," he told Bernama. 

Mohd Sedek reckons that the FBM KLCI remains poised to continue its upward trajectory, underpinned by China’s stimulus measures, a strengthening ringgit, clearer domestic policy and stronger economic growth and earnings. He said the ongoing InvestMalaysia event, with a spotlight on the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), provides additional catalysts for market expansion.

"However, the long-term sustainability of this rally will largely depend on the insights and policy directions to be revealed in the upcoming Budget 2025," he concluded. 

Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the benchmark index remained in consolidation mode after previous strong gains, but he believes it is a temporary phase, allowing the market to build a solid foundation around the 1,660 level.  "We remain positive on the local market, with the FBM KLCI poised for a potential breakout. As momentum builds, we anticipate further advances, signalling a healthy upward trajectory in the near term," he said.

As such, Thong expects the benchmark index to trend within the 1,660 to 1,680 range towards the weekend.

Among Bursa Malaysia heavyweight stocks, Public Bank added four sen to RM4.67, IHH Healthcare gained one sen to RM7.15 while Maybank slipped four sen to RM10.66. Tenaga Nasional dropped 10 sen to RM14.92 and CIMB Group was flat at RM8.28.

As for the active counters, Sarawak Cable and Artroniq put on four sen each to 14.5 sen and 12 sen, respectively, while Pegasus Heights inched up half-a-sen to one sen and Bahvest Resources rallied 7.5 sen to 71 sen. 

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index fell 24.14 points to 12,459.90, the FBM Emas Shariah Index dipped 36.63 points to 12,329.47 and the FBMT 100 Index dipped 25.78 points to 12,158.72.

The FBM 70 Index dropped 77.51 points to 17,498.26 but the FBM ACE Index gained 66.16 points to 5,197.84.

By sector, the Plantation Index slid 67.98 points to 7,184.96, the Industrial Products and Services Index inched down 0.80 of a point to 176.89 and the Energy Index eased 14.65 points to 856.04. The Financial Services Index climbed 32.05 points to 19,675.86.

The Main Market volume weakened to 1.60 billion units worth RM2.57 billion from Wednesday's 2.11 billion units worth RM3.02 billion.

Warrant turnover was slightly lower at 1.57 billion units valued at RM142.93 million from 1.06 billion units valued at RM133.57 million previously.

The ACE Market volume widened to 465.10 million units worth RM122.71 million from 410.42 million units worth RM134.84 million.

Consumer products and services counters accounted for 231.81 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (322.03 million), construction (158.70 million), technology (182.38 million), SPAC (nil), financial services (107.85 million), property (246.02 million), plantation (29.74 million), REITs (23.52 million), closed/fund (62,400), energy (84.93 million), healthcare (88.56 million), telecommunications and media (29.58 million), transportation and logistics (34.57 million), utilities (57.83 million), and business trusts (1.33 million).

-- BERNAMA