FBM KLCI LOWER AT MIDDAY

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 6 (Bernama) -- The benchmark index for Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session lower, weighed down by index-linked counters led by CIMB and Press Metal. 

At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) declined 7.97 points to 1,672.35 from Monday’s close of 1,680.32. The benchmark had started the day 1.91 points lower at 1,678.41.

On the broader market, gainers edged losers 500 to 487. Some 500 counters were unchanged, 1,162 remained untraded, and 11 were suspended.

Turnover stood at 1.56 billion shares worth RM1.22 billion.

Heavyweights CIMB dipped 25 sen to RM7.99, Press Metal eased 11 sen to RM7.02, SD Guthrie and Petronas Gas were flat at RM5.65 and RM18.20, respectively, while Maybank surged 10 sen to RM10.66. 

In a note today, Hong Leong Investment Bank said near-term market reactions to the US-Venezuela tensions are expected to remain muted, with the investment bank continuing to favour buying on weakness.

It noted that Malaysia’s fundamentals remain supportive, underpinned by solid economic growth, undemanding valuations, a strengthening ringgit and healthy core earnings growth of 7.6 per cent in 2026.

“These factors point to a constructive medium-term backdrop, setting the stage for a potential uptrend resumption toward 1,750 after a healthy consolidation,” the investment bank said.

Meanwhile, on the most active list, MMAG added half-a-sen to 7.5 sen, Insights Analytics jumped 21 sen to RM1.67, Tanco gained one sen to RM1.19, Zetrix AI was flat at 80.5 sen, and Pharmaniaga eased half-a-sen to 27.5 sen. 

Among the top gainers, Nestle appreciated RM1.10 to RM116.80, Malaysian Pacific Industries improved by 24 sen to RM31.74, LPI Capital and Hong Leong Industries both expanded by 22 sen to RM14.80 and RM16.46, respectively.

Among the top decliners, Petronas Dagangan and TM trimmed 16 sen each to RM19.88 and RM7.70, respectively. Kuala Lumpur Kepong and Malayan Cement both eased 14 sen to RM19.84 and RM7.88, respectively, while Sunway fell 11 sen to RM5.62.

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index slipped 30.69 points to 12,319.51, the FBM Top 100 Index decreased 37.11 points to 12,114.12, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index fell by 13.42 points to 12,117.46. 

The FBM Mid 70 Index appreciated 40.43 points to 17,095.48, and the FBM ACE Index added 17.49 points to 4,946.24. 

Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index declined 63.55 points to 19,765.48, the Energy Index shed 3.49 points to 765.52, the Industrial Products and Services Index edged down 1.46 points to 172.42, and the Plantation Index went down 21.73 points to 8,282.08. 

-- BERNAMA