BURSA MALAYSIA MIXED AT MIDDAY

KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia turned mixed at midday following the broadly positive cues from Wall Street’s performance last Friday amid easing uncertainties surrounding the United States (US)-China trade war following US President Donald Trump’s less confrontational stance.

At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose by 9.53 points, or 0.63 per cent, to 1,518.73, from last Friday's close of 1,509.20. 

The index had opened 2.63 points higher at 1,511.83, and moved between 1,511.48 and 1,520.08 during the morning trading session.

However, on the broader market, decliners led gainers 430 to 400, while 391 counters were unchanged, 1,246 untraded and 58 suspended. Turnover stood at 1.58 billion shares worth RM825.04 million.

In a note, Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd said it believes that market players will price in the recent development in the trade war, which could provide an upside for US equities.

It said that as the FBM KLCI reclaimed the 1,500 psychological level last Friday, it expects buying support to sustain in the near term.

“Meanwhile, the rising cyber threats may provide a strong catalyst for stocks with cybersecurity capabilities, and they are less likely to be involved in the trade tariff regime,” the brokerage firm said.

In a statement yesterday, Bursa Malaysia Bhd, in close consultation with the Securities Commission Malaysia, clarified that the losses resulting from unauthorised access and trading activities on April 24, 2025, have been contained. 

The exchange confirmed that the incidents, which involved a small number of brokers’ online client trading accounts, have been addressed, and measures are in place to prevent future occurrences.

Among the heavyweights, Maybank appreciated 11 sen to RM9.98 and Public Bank added six sen to RM4.42, while Tenaga Nasional, CIMB and CelcomDigi rose two sen each to RM13.58, RM7.01 and RM3.77, respectively.

As for the actives, SNS Network gained two sen to 45.5 sen, and both Tanco and Top Glove edged up one sen to 87 sen and 88 sen, respectively, while Nationgate fell two sen to RM1.28 and CTOS was three sen lower at RM1.02.

On the broader index board, the FBM Emas Index gained 62.31 points to 11,282.15, the FBMT 100 Index expanded 64.46 points to 11,054.38, the FBM Emas Shariah Index climbed 39.04 points to 11,123.30 and the FBM 70 Index expanded 72.92 points to 15,864.02, while the FBM ACE Index trimmed 11.65 points to 4,611.92.

Sector-wise, the Industrial Products and Services Index was 0.68 of-a-point firmer at 149.41, the Energy Index ticked up 2.99 points to 677.67 and the Financial Services Index soared 136.26 points to 18,127.45, while the Plantation Index decreased by 16.61 points to 7,208.31.

-- BERNAMA