KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI closed slightly lower on Thursday as investors stayed cautious in search of fresh catalysts, while regional bourses ended mixed.
The benchmark index fell 1.19 points, or 0.07% to 1,598.47 after moving between its intraday high of 1,600.89 and low of 1,595.04.
In the broader market, gainers outnumbered decliners with 588 gainers against 472 decliners, while 504 counters traded unchanged. Turnover came to 3.55 billion shares valued at RM2.8bil.
Dealers said sentiment may remain cautious in the near term, with investors closely watching the final reading of U.S. 2Q25 GDP for clearer signals on the country’s growth outlook.
They added that trading is likely to stay range-bound until fresh catalysts emerge.
Among the decliners, Dutch Lady
slid 24 sen to RM27.06, Allianz eased 22 sen to RM18.50, PETRONAS Dagangan lost 18 sen to RM22.12 and Malaysian Pacific Industries shed 16 sen to RM29.60.
In contrast, Carlsberg rose 26 sen to RM16.86, Farm Fresh added 24 sen to RM2.41, Malayan Cement climbed 23 sen to RM6.73 and Kuala Lumpur Kepong advanced 22 sen to RM20.26.
In terms of fund flows, foreign investors and local retailers were net sellers on Wednesday, offloading equities worth RM67mil and RM83mil, respectively.
Local institutions emerged as net buyers with total purchases valued at RM150mil.
Elsewhere in the region, markets closed mixed, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 rising 0.27%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slipping 0.13%, South Korea’s Kospi easing 0.03% and China’s CSI300 Index advancing 0.6%.
