KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI sank deeper into the red at the lunch break as profit-taking continued to weigh on blue chips.
At midday, the benchmark index fell 4.68 points, or 0.29%, to 1,618.16, off its intramorning low of 1,617.29.
There were 478 losers against 414 gainers, while trading volume stood at 2.4 billion shares valued at RM1.21bil.
Newly listed PSP Energy slipped 0.5 sen to 15.5 sen with 87.53 million shares traded, making it among the most active counters on Bursa Malaysia.
Malaysian Pacific Industries
lost RM1.08 to RM31.40, Nestlé fell 50 sen to RM116.10, Allianz declined 40 sen to RM20.10, while Tenaga Nasional eased 26 sen to RM12.58.
Conversely, F&N jumped 78 sen to RM35.90, Hong Leong Industries rose 44 sen to RM16.34, Telekom Malaysia added 25 sen to RM7.88, and Kelington Group gained 14 sen to RM5.22.
TA Securities said profit-taking consolidation in the local blue-chip benchmark is likely to persist, with investors adopting a wait-and-see approach ahead of crucial US economic data due later this week.
It said immediate support remains at the 61.8% Fibonacci Retracement (FR) level of 1,564, with stronger support levels at the 50% FR (1,527) and 38.2% FR (1,490).
“Immediate resistance stays at the December 2024 high of 1,644, with the highs of 1,684 and 1,695 serving as tougher upside hurdles,” TA said.
Meanwhile, Malacca Securities said the resilient buying interest on Wall Street is expected to spill over to the local bourse, with the window-dressing period strengthening the case.
Historically, December has been the best month for the finance sector, particularly banking.
Moreover, the weakening US dollar signals a stronger ringgit, which should support domestic-focused sectors such as REITs, consumer, banking, construction and property.
Nevertheless, Malacca Securities said the glove sector is seeing a healthy pickup in trading volume and a rounding-bottom pattern with bullish divergence after hovering near its 52-week low, signalling a potential near-term rebound.
