KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI fell for a second straight session on Thursday, bucking firmer regional markets even as the ringgit paused.
The 30-stock index slid 25.60 points, or 1.46%, to 1,730.89, after swinging between an intraday high of 1,753.31 and a low of 1,719.52.
Losses over the past two days have wiped out nearly 80% of this week’s gains.
Market breadth was sharply negative, with decliners beating advancers by more than two to one. There were 372 gainers, 801 losers and 531 counters traded unchanged on Bursa Malaysia. About 3.06 billion shares, valued at RM3.94bil, changed hands.
Dealers said sentiment in the region was also tempered by developments in neighbouring Indonesia, where Goldman Sachs downgraded Indonesian equities after MSCI flagged investability risks, triggering a sharp sell-off in the Jakarta Composite Index.
They noted that while Malaysia has not been directly affected, the episode has heightened caution around regional fund flows, with some investors adopting a more selective stance toward emerging-market exposures.
Among the losers, F&N lost RM1.08 to RM34.42, Dutch Lady
fell 70 sen to RM33.10, Hong Leong Bank lost 52 sen to RM24.32 and PETRONAS Gas slid 34 sen to RM18.26.
In contrast, Nestle gained 50 sen to RM114, Vstecs added 21 sen to RM4.24, Riverview Rubber Estates rose 10 sen to RM3 and Kerjaya Prospek climbed 10 sen to RM2.75.
Meanwhile, the ringgit paused after six straight gains, easing 0.18% to 3.9280, while edging 0.02% higher against the Singapore dollar at 3.1094.
Foreign funds record net outflows of RM105mil on Bursa Malaysia, offset by RM66mil from local institutions and RM39mil from retailers.
On the external front, MSCI’s Asia ex-Japan stock index was lower by 0.04%.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 0.03% to 53,375.60 while South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.98% at 5,221.25.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended 0.51% higher at 27,968.09.
China’s CSI300 index gained 0.76% to 4,753.87 while the Shanghai Composite climbed 0.16% to 4,157.98.
