Bursa Malaysia ends three-day winning streak as profit-taking pulls FBM KLCI lower

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 — Bursa Malaysia finished in the red on Tuesday on profit-taking after recent gains, ending a three-day winning streak.

At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 3.97 points, or 0.23 per cent, to 1,754.01, compared with Monday’s close of 1,757.98.

The benchmark had opened 1.99 points lower at 1,755.99, and moved between 1,747.51 and 1,756 throughout the trading session.

The broader market was negative, with losers outpacing gainers 636 to 394, while 523 counters were unchanged.  A total of 1,215 counters were untraded, and 26 were suspended.

Turnover fell to 2.10 billion units worth RM2.80 billion compared to 2.47 billion units worth RM2.65 billion on Monday.

Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the benchmark index eased slightly today after its recent strong climb. However, he added that the overall tone of the market remains positive, and that the pullback appeared to be a normal pause, as investors took profit following earlier gains.

“Despite this, buying interest has not disappeared, and the index continues to trade near its recent highs, reflecting underlying confidence in the market,” he told Bernama.

Thong said the current consolidation should help the market build a firmer base before attempting another move higher, and expects the FBM KLCI to trend within the 1,740-1,760 range for the week.

IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan said he remains optimistic that the current downtrend will be limited in magnitude and temporary in nature. “Importantly, today’s pullback may provide a window for bargain hunting, offering investors an opportunity to accumulate high-quality, large-capitalisation stocks at more attractive valuations,” he added.

Among heavyweight counters, Maybank gained 18 sen to RM12.38, Public Bank added one sen to RM5.09, and IHH Healthcare advanced eight sen to RM9.08. CIMB Group slipped six sen to RM8.44, and Tenaga Nasional eased four sen to RM14.10.

On the most active list, Tanco rose two sen to RM1.50, while Pharmaniaga fell 1.5 sen to 30 sen, and Zetrix AI eased two sen to 81 sen. OCR was flat at 4.5 sen, and VS Industry was unchanged at 38.5 sen.

Top gainers included Fraser & Neave, which climbed 70 sen to RM33.70, while Petronas Dagangan gained 42 sen to RM21.40, and Sunway Construction rose 28 sen to RM6.59. VSTECS rallied 23 sen to RM4.50, and Malaysian Pacific added 20 sen to RM31.22.

Top decliners included Nestle, which dropped RM1.40 to RM111, while United Plantations lost 70 sen to RM29.62, and Kuala Lumpur Kepong fell 40 sen to RM19.60.  Hong Leong Financial shed 28 sen to RM21.82, and Knusford tumbled 24 sen to 43.5 sen.

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index fell 34.94 points to 12,851.77, the FBMT 100 Index declined 33.64 points to 12,674.90, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index slipped 70.15 points to 12,346.90.

The FBM 70 Index shed 69.44 points to 17,748.72, and the FBM ACE Index eased 36.55 points to 4,812.13.

Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index rose 62.59 points to 21,714.30, while the Industrial Products and Services Index eased 1.92 points to 173.61, the Energy Index dropped 3.36 points to 766.94, and the Plantation Index fell 95.24 points to 8,394.07.

The Main Market volume edged down to 1.34 billion units worth RM2.61 billion from 1.39 billion units worth RM2.44 billion on Monday.

Warrant turnover dropped to 510.55 million units worth RM63.57 million from 825.20 million units worth RM89.36 million previously.

The ACE Market volume perked up to 257.81 million units valued at RM130.05 million from 256.43 million units valued at RM114.12 million yesterday.

Consumer products and services counters accounted for 197.23 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (217.22 million), construction (138.59 million), technology (162.19 million), financial services (90.19 million), property (149.79 million), plantation (24.36 million), real estate investment trusts (12.67 million), closed-end fund (60,800), energy (86.15 million), healthcare (110.16 million), telecommunications and media (76.88 million), transportation and logistics (34.36 million), utilities (40.35 million), and business trusts (5,000). — Bernama