Bursa pares gains to close lower on cautious sentiment ahead of US tariff deadline
At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 4.38 points, or 0.29 per cent, to close at 1,529.38 from Friday's close of 1,533.76.
The benchmark index opened 4.29 points firmer at 1,538.05 and moved between 1,528.34 and 1,539.38 throughout the trading session.
In the broader market, losers led gainers 554 to 420, while 488 counters were unchanged and 1,091 untraded, with 43 suspended.
Turnover improved to three billion units worth RM2.30 billion from 2.86 billion shares worth RM2.16 billion on Friday.
UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors Sdn Bhd head of investment research, Mohd Sedek Jantan, noted that the FBM KLCI commenced the week's trading on a firm footing, posting early gains during the morning session.
However, the momentum proved unsustainable into the afternoon, with the index closing lower as investors adopted a more cautious posture ahead of Thursday's US tariff deadline.
'Among the FBM KLCI constituents, plantation and utility counters led the gainers, aligning with our weekly view that investor positioning would favour domestically oriented sectors amidst heightened external uncertainty.
'We anticipate markets will continue to consolidate in the near term, awaiting further signals from the Malaysia-US trade talks or any fresh tariff-related announcements from US President Donald Trump,' he told Bernama.
Mohd Sedek noted that regional peers delivered a mixed performance on Monday, weighed by profit-taking and concerns over global trade developments.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.68 per cent to close at 25,562.13, South Korea's Kospi garnered 0.42 per cent to 3,209.52, while Singapore's Straits Times Index lost 0.27 per cent to 4,249.48, and Japan's Nikkei 225 shed 1.10 per cent to 40,998.27.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the local benchmark index closed below the 1,530 level due to late selling. He noted that market sentiment was subdued as investors awaited more details from the US-China trade discussions, set to begin in Stockholm later today.
Thong said the local bourse remains in consolidation mode, hovering around the 1,530 level due to a lack of fresh catalysts. 'For the moment, we expect the FBM KLCI to trend range-bound, hovering within 1,510-1,540 points for the week. We notice crude palm oil (CPO) futures remain above RM4,000 per tonne, and we believe this is an opportunity to accumulate plantation stocks,' he added.
Of the heavyweight stocks, Maybank, CIMB and IHH Healthcare were all flat at RM9.54, RM6.75 and RM6.66, respectively. Public Bank fell four sen to RM4.25 and Tenaga Nasional slid 24 sen to RM13.36. Petronas Chemicals jumped eight sen to RM3.61, and Nestle surged RM2.50 to RM88.
Among the most active stocks, Ekovest added four sen to 44 sen, NexG inched up half a sen to 53 sen, and Tanco grew one sen to 92.5 sen. Zetrix AI went down 7.5 sen to 83.5 sen and YTL Corporation slipped three sen to RM2.45.
Among top gainers and decliners, SAM Engineering and Equipment rallied 13 sen to RM4.20, while Fraser and Neave and Infomina were 10 sen higher each at RM29 and RM1.1, respectively. United Plantations dropped 32 sen to RM21.90, and Petronas Dagangan lost 26 sen to RM21.44 to lead the losers.
Across the broader market, the FBM Emas Index dropped 34.62 points to 11,472.20, the FBMT 100 Index slipped 37.27 points to 11,232.45, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index lost 38.94 points to 11,490.04.
The FBM 70 Index fell 77.16 points to 16,530.41 while the FBM ACE Index shaved 2.42 points to 4,636.60.
By sector, the Plantation Index grew 28.44 points to 7,463.23, the Industrial Products and Services Index inched up 0.25 of a point higher to 157.39, and the Energy Index climbed 0.94 of a point to 740.79. The Financial Services Index sank 45.86 points to 17,408.37.
The Main Market volume improved to 1.67 billion units valued at RM2.03 billion from 1.26 billion units valued at RM1.85 billion.
Warrant turnover slipped to 1.01 billion units worth RM161.01 million from 1.28 billion units worth RM218.03 million previously.
The ACE Market volume rose to 323.13 million units worth RM106.95 million from 313.89 million units worth RM90.97 million.
Consumer products and services counters accounted for 236.86 million shares traded on the Main Market; industrial products and services (218.34 million), construction (182.64 million), technology (469.30 million), SPAC (nil), financial services (63.27 million), property (170.58 million), plantation (13.29 million), REITs (15.88 million), closed-end fund (900), energy (110.48 million), healthcare (42.84 million), telecommunications and media (33.72 million), transportation and logistics (39.83 million), utilities (71.07 million), and business trusts (27,000). — BERNAMA
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