Bursa Malaysia Eases In Early Trade, Tracking Wall Street Losses Amid Tech Sell-Off

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 – Bursa Malaysia opened lower on Monday morning, pulling the benchmark index below the key 1,600 psychological support level in tandem with broad-based losses on Wall Street triggered by heavy selling in global technology and artificial intelligence equities.

At 9:15 AM on Monday, October 19, 2026, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) surrendered 8.42 points, or 0.52 per cent, to stand at 1,599.34 compared to Friday’s close of 1,607.76. The benchmark index had started the week 3.58 points weaker at 1,604.18.

Overall market sentiment was cautious, with decliners outnumbering advancers by 423 to 103, while 270 counters remained unchanged, 2,048 untraded, and 34 suspended. Total market volume recorded 247.52 million units valued at RM165.34 million.

Heavyweight Performance, Top Movers, and Sectoral Snapshot

Selling pressure hit financial service providers and technology supply chain stocks, while energy and commodity counters saw selective gains:

• Key Banking & Heavyweight Counters: Maybank declined four sen to RM9.95, Public Bank lost 12 sen to RM4.71, and Tenaga Nasional dipped four sen to RM12.69. CIMB remained unchanged at RM7.20, while IHH Healthcare shed two sen to RM7.89.
• Leading Decliners: Hong Leong Financial Group topped the losers list, falling 28 sen to RM17.56, while United Plantations gave up 24 sen to RM30.36. Technology player Malaysian Pacific Industries dropped 22 sen to RM40.20, MISC Bhd lost 20 sen to RM8.56, and Hong Leong Bank decreased by 16 sen to RM21.14.
• Top Gaining Stocks: Oil and gas stocks outperformed as Petronas Dagangan advanced 24 sen to RM19.88, with Hibiscus Petroleum and Petronas Chemicals gaining eight sen each to RM2.37 and RM4.40, respectively. Press Metal Aluminium and Kuala Lumpur Kepong both rose 10 sen to RM6.60 and RM20.10.
• Active Trading Stocks: JAKS Resources fell one sen to 13.5 sen, Top Glove edged down half a sen to 89.5 sen, Rekatech Capital shed one sen to 3.5 sen, and Cape EMS dropped 2.5 sen to 28.5 sen. Ni Hsin traded unchanged at 4.2 sen.
• Index Breakdown: The FBM Emas Index decreased 65.07 points to 11,927.19, the FBM Top 100 Index shed 64.42 points to 11,722.35, the FBM Mid 70 Index dropped 105.45 points to 17,120.48, and the FBM ACE Index lost 44.89 points to 5,386.16. Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index plummeted 163.13 points to 18,588.69, while the Energy Index picked up 3.62 points to reach 824.62.

Traders are maintaining a watchful eye on domestic macroeconomic developments and foreign portfolio movements following the recent release of third-quarter GDP figures.

–NMT