KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI rose for a third straight session on Tuesday, though sentiment stayed cautious on trade tariff risks and a possible U.S. government shutdown.
US President Donald Trump earlier announced tariffs of 10% on imported timber and lumber, and 25% on kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities and upholstered furniture.
The FBM KLCI edged up 0.93 of a point, or 0.06%, to close at 1,611.88. The benchmark index touched an intraday high of 1,619.11 before paring gains.
On a monthly basis, the KLCI advanced 36.76 points, or 2.3%.
In the broader market, gainers and decliners were nearly balanced, with 549 gainers against 557 decliners, while 503 counters remained unchanged. Turnover stood at 3.5 billion shares valued at RM3.16bil.
Dealers expect the index to trade sideways in the coming sessions, with investors adopting a wait-and-see stance ahead of the tabling of Budget 2026.
They cautioned that risks such as a possible U.S. government shutdown and uncertainty over tariffs could limit gains in the near term.
Among the gainers, PETRONAS Dagangan gained 36 sen to RM22.94, Ayer added 33 sen to RM7.50, PPB Group rose 20 sen to RM10.20 and Aeon Credit
climbed 18 sen to RM5.53.
Nestle tumbled 88 sen to RM96.22, Malaysian Pacific Industries fell 38 sen to RM28.72, Hume Industries lost 16 sen to RM3.49 and Kluang Rubber declined 15 sen to RM5.55.
Meanwhile, the local currency strengthened 0.24% versus the US dollar at 4.2075, while edging up 0.17% against the Singapore dollar to 3.2631.
Around the region, MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.46%.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.25% to close at 44,932.63, while South Korea’s Kospi eased 0.19% to 3,424.60.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 0.87% to 26,855.56.
China’s CSI300 advanced 0.45% to 4,640.69, while the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.52% to 3,882.78.
