KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 24 — Bursa Malaysia closed at a nearly 16-month high on Christmas Eve, extending its gains for a fifth consecutive session amid steady market participation and improving domestic sentiment.

At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 1.67 points, or 0.10 per cent, to 1,678.31 from Tuesday’s close of 1,676.64.

The benchmark index opened 0.64 points lower at 1,676.0 before reversing course to hit an intraday high of 1,678.85 in early trade. It later lost steam, slipping to a low of 1,673.64 in the early afternoon session, before edging back up toward the close.

The broader market was positive with gainers leading decliners 500 versus 483. A further 584 counters were unchanged, 1,206 untraded and 50 suspended.

Turnover increased to 2.04 billion units worth RM1.70 billion from 1.96 billion units worth RM1.81 billion on Tuesday.

Bursa Malaysia Bhd and its subsidiaries will be closed on December 25, 2025, in conjunction with Christmas Day and January 1, 2026, for the New Year’s Day holiday.

Online equity broker Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd believes investment opportunities are becoming increasingly selective as the market transitions toward year-end, with traditional festive-driven consumption remaining a meaningful theme that could support selected sectors through year-end and into early 2026.

Its head of research, Kenny Yee, said market conditions remain constructive but disciplined towards the end of the year.

“We are seeing steady participation, which is a positive sign for overall market stability. A strengthening ringgit also acts as a solid catalyst, attracting the return of foreign funds. In this environment, investors should focus on companies with clear demand drivers, resilient margins and recurring consumption rather than short-term market movements,” he said in a statement.

Among the heavyweights, Maybank and Tenaga Nasional fell six sen each to RM10.48 and RM13.60, respectively, CIMB lost seven sen to RM8.11, while Public Bank was flat at RM4.52. IHH Healthcare rose five sen to RM8.67.

On the most active list, Pharmaniaga and Velesto edged down half-a-sen each to 29 sen and 27.5 sen, respectively. Tanco slid four sen to RM1.11 and Ekovest shed 2.5 sen to 28.5 sen, while Zetrix AI went up half-a-sen to 82 sen.

Among top gainers, United Plantations rose 46 sen to RM29.86, Petronas Gas added 28 sen to RM18.28, Hong Leong Financial gained 22 sen to RM18.98, and Gamuda was 13 sen firmer at RM5.10.

As for top losers, Fraser & Neave trimmed 54 sen to RM36.0, Malaysian Pacific Industries slipped 32 sen to RM32.42, Nestle eased 20 sen to RM115.10, and Petronas Dagangan dipped 14 sen to RM19.62.

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index increased 4.43 points to 12,305.91, the FBM Top 100 Index climbed 7.06 points to 12,107.54, the FBM Emas Shariah Index advanced 28.60 points to 12,134.63, while the FBM ACE Index fell 4.27 points to 4,828.17 and the FBM 70 Index slid 12.96 points to 16,862.52.

By sector, the Financial Services Index erased 41.52 points to 19,623.99, the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 0.67 of-a-point to 174.01, the Energy Index perked up 0.50 of-a-point to 766.68, and the Plantation Index jumped 44.63 points to 8,278.91.

The Main Market volume dipped to 1.15 billion units worth RM1.55 billion from 1.29 billion units worth RM1.65 billion on Tuesday.

Warrants turnover jumped to 637.43 million units worth RM47.11 million against 485.53 million units worth RM60.47 million previously.

The ACE Market volume declined to 250.65 million units valued at RM95.02 million versus 262.36 million units valued at RM96.62 million yesterday.

Consumer products and services counters accounted for 193.20 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (236.05 million), construction (93.97 million), technology (138.64 million), financial services (46.0 million), property (127.07 million), plantation (11.46 million), real estate investment trusts (9.07 million), closed-end fund (14,300), energy (90.23 million), healthcare (135.18 million), telecommunications and media (30.35 million), transportation and logistics (24.89 million), utilities (19.52 million), and business trusts (169,300). — Bernama