KUALA LUMPUR: Late buying lifted the FBM KLCI to finish at its intraday high, even as broader market sentiment remained weak.
At closing, the benchmark index added 3.03 points, or 0.19% to 1,638.09, its intraday high.
Market breadth was negative, with 729 decliners outpacing 403 gainers. The weak breadth reflected lingering bearish sentiment, as persistent selling pressure continued to weigh on the broader market. Total turnover stood at 3.7 billion shares valued at RM2.6bil.
Dealers said buying interest during the day was interspersed with bouts of profit-taking after recent gains.
They added that trading may drift sideways as investors remain cautious ahead of fresh catalysts, including the upcoming tabling of Budget 2026.
Among the gainers, PPB Group rose 30 sen to RM10.52, Nestle added 28 sen to RM97.30, PETRONAS Gas gained 24 sen to RM18.82 and PIE Industrial climbed 23 sen to RM3.49.
Heineken slid 36 sen to RM21.06, KSL fell 34 sen to RM2.99, PETRONAS Dagangan lost 34 sen to RM23.04 and Malaysian Pacific Industries
declined 22 sen to RM31.
Meanwhile, the ringgit slipped 0.2% against the US dollar to 4.2175 but inched up 0.12% against the Singapore dollar to 3.2601.
On the external front, MSCI’s Asia ex-Japan stock index was lower by 0.4%.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 crossed the 48,000 level for the first time before settling 4.75% higher at 47,944.76.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed down 0.67% at 26,957.77 while Singapore’s Straits Times index rose
Most other major share markets around the region were closed for holidays, including China, South Korea and Taiwan.
