KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — Bursa Malaysia reversed earlier losses to end higher on Tuesday as buying interest gained momentum in the afternoon session, said an analyst. 

At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 7.66 points, or 0.44 per cent, to close at 1,747.43 from Monday’s close of 1,739.77.

The benchmark index, which opened 1.97 points lower at 1,737.80, moved between a low of 1,732.64 and a high of 1,747.82 throughout the day.

Market breadth was negative with losers leading gainers 605 to 539. A total of 599 counters were unchanged, 889 untraded, and 11 suspended.

Turnover decreased to 2.86 billion units worth RM2.59 billion compared with 3.05 billion units worth RM2.55 billion yesterday.

Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said while the late rebound indicates some buying support, overall market participation remains selective as investors assess ongoing geopolitical developments and elevated oil prices. 

“The local bourse remained cautious despite today’s positive close, as underlying sentiment continues to be influenced by external uncertainties.

“Looking ahead, we expect the FBM KLCI to trade in a consolidation mode with a slight upward bias, supported by selective accumulation in key sectors. In the near term, the index is expected to move within the 1,710-1,750 range,” he told Bernama. 

Meanwhile, IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan said today’s performance showed measured resilience despite rising geopolitical tensions, with gains concentrated in petroleum-linked heavyweights as crude oil held firm near US$110 per barrel amid emerging strains in the US-Iran ceasefire. 

The move highlights how the index’s composition remains tactically leveraged to energy price dynamics, allowing oil-related names to cushion broader risk-off sentiment.

“The index trended higher through the mid-afternoon and sustained momentum into the close, suggesting steady institutional accumulation rather than momentum-driven buying. 

“While elevated oil prices are providing near-term support, the durability of this uptrend will depend on whether geopolitical risk translates into sustained earnings upgrades rather than remaining a sentiment-driven catalyst,” he said.

Among heavyweights, Maybank fell eight sen to RM11.20, IHH Healthcare erased four sen to RM8.83, CIMB jumped 20 sen to RM7.89, while both Public Bank and Tenaga Nasional were flat at RM4.75 and RM14.80, respectively. 

On the most active list, Zetrix AI inched up half-a-sen to 86.5 sen, GIIB Holdings went up 2.5 sen to 18.5 sen, Tanco added one sen to RM1.62, Straits Energy Resources lost three sen to 4.5 sen, and UEM Sunrise slid one sen to 63 sen. 

Among the top gainers, Petronas Dagangan garnered 24 sen to RM20.34, and Telekom Malaysia put on 19 sen to RM7.80. Petronas Chemicals and Hong Leong Industries advanced 22 sen each to RM5.92 and RM17.92, respectively. 

Among the top losers, Nestle dropped RM2.10 to RM101.70, Malaysian Pacific Industries declined 50 sen to RM37.50, Fraser & Neave dipped 46 sen to RM29.56, Hong Leong Bank shed 20 sen to RM22.10, and Malayan Cement slipped 19 sen to RM6.71. 

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index climbed 39.57 points to 12,887.34, the FBM Top 100 Index soared 42.58 points to 12,731.62, the FBM Emas Shariah Index increased 42.10 points to 12,866.55, and the FBM Mid 70 Index rose 4.27 points to 18,269.48. 

However, the FBM ACE Index declined 34.99 points to 4,601.07.

By sector, the Financial Services Index strengthened 44.01 points to 20,134.33, the Industrial Products and Services Index ticked up 1.45 points to 197.67, and the Plantation Index improved 33.43 points to 9,007.20, while the Energy Index fell 2.08 points to 835.63. 

The Main Market volume slipped to 1.67 billion units valued at RM2.38 billion from 1.74 billion units valued at RM2.27 billion on Monday.   

Warrants turnover shrank to 871.29 million units worth RM113.70 million from 918.52 million units worth RM146.22 million previously.  

The ACE Market volume decreased to 319.05 million units valued at RM96.14 million from 388.84 million units valued at RM132.46 million yesterday.

Consumer products and services counters accounted for 219.52 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (288.34 million), construction (161.44 million), technology (305.67 million), financial services (62.40 million), property (192.77 million), plantation (29.78 million), real estate investment trusts (18.05 million), closed-end fund (18,000), energy (160.97 million), healthcare (106.99 million), telecommunications and media (26.68 million), transportation and logistics (48.49 million), utilities (45.50 million), and business trusts (314,700). — Bernama