KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 — Bursa Malaysia extended its uptrend for a third consecutive day on Friday, closing higher on renewed buying interest amid positive regional market performance due to potential de-escalating US-China trade tensions.

At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 2.68 points, or 0.18 per cent, to 1,509.20 from Thursday’s close of 1,506.52.

The benchmark index opened 5.12 points better at 1,511.64, and moved between 1,505.68 and 1,512.29 throughout the day.

Market breadth was positive, with advancers beating decliners 651 to 325, while 434 counters were unchanged, 1,047 untraded, and 39 suspended.

Turnover improved to 3.10 billion units valued at RM1.95 billion against Thursday’s 3.08 billion units valued at RM2.14 billion.

UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors Sdn Bhd head of investment research Mohd Sedek Jantan said notably, foreign investors have re-emerged as net buyers, with positive net inflows recorded on Wednesday and Thursday.

"This development aligns with our view last week, which outlined several key convictions: the market bottoming on April 9, 2025; geopolitical drivers dominate; tariff escalation likely peaked (at least for most countries); and technical rebound in play,” he told Bernama.

He said in today’s session, export-oriented sectors, namely chemicals, semiconductors, and industrials — exhibited consistent strength, though many counters continue to trade below their one-month highs.

"These trends suggest improving sentiment, particularly for trade-sensitive stocks.

"Additionally, we observe an emerging sectoral rotation from consumer-linked names towards export-oriented plays, which could lead the market in the near term,” he added.

Regarding the positive market sentiment following the meeting between Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz and the United States (US) officials in Washington, along with the easing of US-China trade tensions, he remarked that these developments have come at the right time.

"Export-oriented stocks (index-linked components) began rising after midday, contributing to the upward movement of the FBM KLCI, which climbed up at 3.30 pm amid choppy trading.

"Additionally, foreign institutional investors generally increase their participation in the Malaysian market during the afternoon session, coinciding with higher liquidity levels observed in the latter part of the trading day.

"We’re hopeful that today will see net foreign buying,” he added.

Meanwhile, Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the market pared earlier gains amid profit-taking in energy and banking heavyweights, but still managed to close in positive territory.

"Key regional indices advanced on renewed optimism over easing US-China trade tensions, with sentiment further lifted by expectations of an earlier-than-expected US Federal Reserve rate cut,” he said.

Thong is positive about the impact of the de-escalating trade tensions between the US and China as this is expected to reduce market volatility and restore investors’ confidence in the local market.

Among the heavyweights, CIMB added 1.0 sen to RM6.99, Maybank eased 8.0 sen to RM9.87, Public Bank and IHH Healthcare went down 1.0 sen each to RM4.36 and RM6.87, respectively, and Tenaga Nasional lost 4.0 sen to RM13.56.

As for the actives, Richtech gained 3.0 sen to 27.5 sen, Nationgate added 12 sen to RM1.30, My E.G. Services inched up 1.0 sen to 90.5 sen, Tanco edged up half-a-sen to 22.5 sen, and Bina Puri shed 11 sen to 26.5 sen. — Bernama