Bursa Malaysia started Friday’s session on a mixed note, tracking uneven sentiment across regional and global markets, with the FBM KLCI managing a modest gain while broader indices drifted lower in early trade.
As at 9.18am, the benchmark FBM KLCI stood at 1,665.13, up 1.31 points or 0.08%, after opening at 1,664.50 and moving between 1,662.68 and 1,667.20.
The broader market, however, showed a softer tone. The FBMT 100 slipped 0.02%, while the FBM 70 declined 0.32% and the FBM Small Cap index eased 0.17%. The FBM Emas also edged lower by 0.03%, signalling cautious participation beyond blue chips.
Sector performance was similarly mixed. Construction led early gainers, rising 0.18%, supported by selective buying. Energy slipped 0.28%, while financial and consumer-related indices were broadly flat to slightly weaker.
Among heavyweight constituents, plantation counters such as UTD Plantations led gainers, alongside KLCC and Carlsberg, while selling pressure was seen in MPI, Fraser & Neave and several semiconductor-related names including Vitrox and Unisem.
Market breadth tilted negative, with 112 decliners against 53 gainers on the exchange. Early turnover stood at 64.30 million shares valued at S$116.12 million.
The cautious start came after a mixed overnight session on Wall Street, where US equities ended uneven as weakness in technology stocks offset gains in semiconductors. Investors also continued to weigh stronger-than-expected US economic data, alongside expectations of further interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve.
Sentiment regionally remains sensitive to global tech volatility, particularly after Apple’s sell-off weighed on megacap names even as chipmakers continued to benefit from strong artificial intelligence-related demand.
Related
