KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia saw another pullback at the close on Friday, largely due to profit-taking in selected heavyweight counters amid a mixed regional performance, said an analyst.
The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 11.23 points, or 0.67 per cent, to settle at 1,660.09 from Thursday’s close. The benchmark index, which opened 2.73 points easier at 1,668.59, moved between 1,658.49 and 1,668.59 throughout the day.
On the broader market, decliners outnumbered gainers by 642 to 448 while 478 counters were unchanged, 958 untraded and 123 suspended.
Turnover dropped to 3.02 billion units worth RM2.68 billion from Thursday's 3.13 billion units worth RM2.84 billion.
Mohd Sedek Jantan, the UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors head of investment research, said traders adopted a cautious approach, opting to lock in profits ahead of the release of US personal consumption expenditures (PCE) data later tonight. Although the market expects a 0.2 per cent month-over-month increase in US core PCE, investors remain cautious of potential surprises that could alter market dynamics, he told Bernama.
"On the local front, industrial, communication and plantation stocks emerged as leaders, supported by the positive sentiment around China's stimulus package, a strengthening ringgit, and advancements in data centre development," he said.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng reckons that investors were reluctant to make significant portfolio changes ahead of the upcoming Budget 2025 in mid-October. He noted that the benchmark index remained in consolidation mode despite several attempts to break out of it.
Among Bursa Malaysia heavyweight stocks, Maybank dropped 16 sen to RM10.50, Public Bank shed eight sen to RM4.59 and CIMB Group
declined four sen to RM8.24. IHH Healthcare rose 10 sen to RM7.20 and Tenaga Nasional was flat at RM14.66.
Lambo Group led the active counters, going down 1.5 sen to one sen while Genetec Technology fell 14.5 sen to 85 sen and Capital A bagged three sen to 94 sen. Zen Tech International and Sapura Energy were flat at one sen and four sen, respectively.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index sank 73.30 points to 12,386.60, the FBM Emas Shariah Index dipped 16.43 points to 12,313.04 and the FBMT 100 Index lost 70.55 points to 12,088.17.
The FBM 70 Index erased 59.78 points to 17,438.48 and the FBM ACE Index shed 39.79 points to 5,158.05.
By sector, the Plantation Index climbed 8.27 points to 7,193.23, the Industrial Products and Services Index inched up 0.45 of a point to 177.34 and the Energy Index was 0.71 of a point firmer at 856.75. The Financial Services Index slid 209.53 points to 19,466.33.
The Main Market volume slipped to 1.51 billion units worth RM2.43 billion from Thursday's 1.60 billion units worth RM2.57 billion.
Warrant turnover dipped to 982.76 million units valued at RM144.74 million from 1.06 billion units valued at RM142.93 million previously.
The ACE Market volume widened to 520.49 million units worth RM103.48 million from 465.10 million units worth RM122.71 million.
Consumer products and services counters accounted for 278.68 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (293.79 million), construction (124.14 million), technology (197.14 million), SPAC (nil), financial services (99.41 million), property (188.63 million), plantation (28.50 million), REITs (17.41 million), closed/fund (87,800), energy (115.56 million), healthcare (62.46 million), telecommunications and media (30.76 million), transportation and logistics (22.53 million), utilities (55.53 million), and business trusts (32,300 million). - Bernama
