KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 — Bursa Malaysia opened lower on Friday morning as investors engaged in profit-taking following gains in the previous session, with lingering geopolitical uncertainties continuing to weigh on overall market sentiment.
At 9:02 am, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 2.92 points to 1,733.79 from Thursday’s close of 1,736.71. The index had initially opened 0.63 of a point higher at 1,736.08.
Market breadth opened on a negative note, with decliners outpacing advancers 175 to 86, while 266 counters remained unchanged, 2,345 untraded, and 47 suspended. Total market turnover stood at 77.90 million shares valued at RM46.67 million.
In a market commentary today, research house Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd noted that the upcoming addition of 20 stocks to the FBM KLCI in December is expected to enhance market velocity moving forward.
“It is also heartening to finally see that there will be representation from the technology segment,” Rakuten Trade said, adding that it expects the benchmark index to trend within the 1,730 to 1,745 range during today’s trading session.
Among key index heavyweights, Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) and CIMB Group Holdings Bhd traded flat at RM10.58 and RM7.98, respectively. Public Bank Bhd and IHH Healthcare Bhd each edged down one sen to RM5.11 and RM8.33, respectively, while Tenaga Nasional Bhd slid eight sen to RM14.42.
In active trading, Omesti Bhd, MAG Holdings Bhd, and Comfort Gloves Bhd traded flat at 8.5 sen, 16 sen, and 17 sen, respectively. GIIB Holdings Bhd gained half a sen to 42.5 sen, while Notion VTec Bhd shed three sen to 50 sen.
Top gainers for the morning session included Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd, which surged 24 sen to RM21.68, and Petronas Gas Bhd, which added 12 sen to RM17.60. Cnergenz Bhd gained 10.5 sen to 87.5 sen, while CI Holdings Bhd and Can-One Bhd each rose nine sen to RM2.41 and RM1.59, respectively.
Conversely, top decliners were led by Malaysian Pacific Industries Bhd, which fell RM1.18 to RM44.12. Telekom Malaysia Bhd and ViTrox Corporation Bhd each lost 10 sen to RM8.00 and RM9.16, respectively, while Kelington Group Bhd declined nine sen to RM8.91 and Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd slipped seven sen to RM4.30.
Across broader indices, performance was largely on the retreat. The FBM 70 Index fell 49.35 points to 18,124.76, the FBM Emas Shariah Index declined 26.89 points to 12,631.68, and the FBM Emas Index weakened 24.72 points to 12,812.90. The FBM Top 100 Index gave up 24.58 points to 12,631.64, while the FBM ACE Index decreased 6.01 points to 5,322.75.
Sector-wise, the Plantation Index rose 13.34 points to 9,307.44. On the downside, the Financial Services Index edged down 1.76 points to 20,273.72, the Industrial Products and Services Index slipped 0.85 of a point to 186.70, and the Energy Index fell 0.47 of a point to 774.67.
–NMT
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