BURSA MALAYSIA OPENS LOWER TRACKING WEAKER REGIONAL MARKETS

By Danni Haizal Danial Donald

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 16 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia retreated from yesterday’s gains to open lower on Tuesday, tracking weaker regional markets and a softer overnight performance on Wall Street.

At 9.10 am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 2.76 points, or 0.17 per cent, to 1,640.96 from Monday’s close of 1,643.72.

The index had opened 0.95 of a point lower at 1,642.77.

On the broader market, 180 losers outpaced 121 gainers, while 273 counters were unchanged, 2,202 untraded, and 12 suspended.

Turnover stood at 106.46 million shares worth RM62.36 million.

Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index stayed in the red as growing concerns over stretched technology valuations and aggressive artificial intelligence (AI)-related investment continued to weigh on sentiment. 

He added that overnight Wall Street finished lower as losses in the technology, oil and gas, and consumer services sectors dampened sentiment, with investors remaining cautious ahead of a data-heavy week that could significantly alter expectations for interest rates and the 2026 growth outlook.

“However, on a positive note, the strengthening of the ringgit is expected to provide support to the local market. As such, we anticipate the FBM KLCI to continue oscillating within the 1,630–640 range today,” he told Bernama.

Among heavyweights, Maybank and Tenaga Nasional lost four sen each to RM10.32 and RM13.06, respectively. Public Bank and IHH Healthcare were two sen lower at RM4.47 and RM8.68, respectively, while CIMB Group inched up one sen to RM7.94.

On the most active list, Perak Transit dipped one sen to 29 sen, Bumi Armada remained unchanged at 31 sen, while Orkim gained three sen to RM1.13. Inari Amertron fell five sen to RM1.78, while Reneuco inched up half-a-sen to 2.5 sen.

Besides Orkim, other top gainers included Dutch Lady Milk Industries, which climbed 76 sen to RM30.88, SHL Consolidated added 10 sen to RM2.30, United Plantation gained six sen to RM28.76, and Unisem advanced four sen to RM3.32.

Besides Inari Amertron, other top losers included MISC and Petronas Gas, both of which plunged 12 sen to RM7.51 and RM17.54, respectively. Malaysian Pacific Industries fell 10 sen to RM31.70, and Vitrox Corporation slid eight sen to RM4.11.

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index declined 20.57 points to 12,069.81, the FBM Emas Shariah Index slipped 22.74 points to 11,891.75, the FBMT 100 Index dropped 20.35 points to 11,864.61, the FBM ACE Index fell 13.58 points to 4,711.71, and the FBM 70 Index retreated 30.19 points to 16,643.23.

Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index narrowed 36.27 points to 19,243.89, and the Energy Index eased 2.22 points to 763.32, while the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 0.03 of a point to 169.91, and the Plantation Index advanced 11.44 points to 8,150.89.

-- BERNAMA