BURSA MALAYSIA ENDS WEEK STRONGLY ON BARGAIN HUNTING, GOES PAST 1600 POINTS

By Zufazlin Baharuddin

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia rebounded from lacklustre trading in previous sessions and ended the week on a strong footing as investors chased bargains, bucking the regional downtrend.                                                 

At 5 pm, the FBM KLCI rose 10.58 points to close at 1,609.05, compared with yesterday’s close of 1,598.47.

The benchmark index opened lower at 1,597.01 and moved between 1,595.32 and 1,611.32 throughout the day.

The market breadth was positive with 575 gainers outpacing 559 decliners, while 469 counters were unchanged, 1,047 untraded, and 48 suspended.

Turnover expanded to 4.16 billion units worth RM3.17 billion from 3.55 billion units worth RM2.77 billion yesterday.

Rakuten Trade vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the local bourse was steady, buoyed by improving market volume and strong buying from local institutions, despite negative performances among regional peers.

Other regional bourses slipped after US President Donald Trump revealed additional tariffs targeting furniture, heavy trucks, and pharmaceuticals, with all branded or patented drugs facing 100 per cent levies unless manufactured in the United States.

“Reclaiming the 1,600 level is a positive milestone for the benchmark index, reinforcing its ability to withstand recent challenges. This psychologically significant threshold suggests that buyers are stepping back in, laying the groundwork for stronger market sentiment,” he told Bernama. 

Among the heavyweight counters, Maybank added 10 sen to RM9.89, Public Bank gained six sen to RM4.34, and Tenaga Nasional increased 14 sen to RM13.34. IHH Healthcare bounced 13 sen to RM7.50, and CIMB Group added one sen to RM7.25.

In active trade, Zetrix AI, Tanco Holdings, and VS Industry edged up one sen each to 86.5 sen, 90 sen, and 60 sen, respectively. Bumi Armada climbed half a sen to 36.5 sen, while Pharmaniaga slid 1.5 sen to 26.5 sen.

Country View led the top gainers, jumping 23 sen to RM2.78, while Malayan Cement was 42 sen higher at RM7.15, and Dutch Lady Milk Industries bagged 22 sen to RM27.28. Petronas Dagangan gained 30 sen to RM22.42, and Ajinamoto added 20 sen to RM14.02.

Top losers Malaysian Pacific shed 30 sen to RM29.30, Nestle fell 56 sen to RM96.04, and Sunway Construction Group dropped 14 sen to RM5.99. PPB Group dropped 20 sen to RM10.12, and Farm Fresh slipped 14 sen to RM2.27.

On the broader market, the FBM Emas Index rose 53.02 points to 11,993.44, the FBM 100 Index bounced 56.71 points to 11,725.04, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index gained 30.91 points to 12,048.47.

The FBM ACE Index added 49.20 points to 5,200.46, while the FBM 70 Index fell 7.13 points to 16,850.35.

Sector-wise, the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 1.68 points to 173.76, the Financial Services Index ballooned 125.64 points to 18,156.84, and the Energy Index gained 2.61points to 782.52. The Plantation Index added 4.84 points to 7,762.65.

The Main Market volume expanded to 1.97 billion units, valued at RM2.72 billion, from 1.92 billion units valued at RM2.39 billion yesterday.

Warrant turnover advanced to 1.44 billion units, valued at RM208.70 million, from 913.14 million units valued at RM139.76 million previously.

The ACE Market volume strengthened to 737.39 million shares worth RM230.36 million, from 713.16 million shares worth RM227.36 million on Thursday.

Consumer products and services counters accounted for 399.61 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (378.01 million), construction (141.29 million), technology (246.96 million), financial services (91.27 million), property (192.84 million), plantation (25.31 million), REITs (30.47 million), closed/fund (306,500), energy (219.29 million), healthcare (130.75 million), telecommunications and media (29.55 million), transportation and logistics (44.85 million), utilities (47.08 million), and business trusts (425,700).

-- BERNAMA