KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia retreated for a second straight session on broad-based selling, with more than 700 counters declining, as investors shrugged off stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter GDP data and tracked weaker regional markets.
At 5pm, the FBM KLCI fell 11.31 points, or 0.65% to 1,739.54, recovering from an intraday low of 1,738.94. For the week, the index gained 0.4%.
Market breadth remained negative, with losers outnumbering gainers 709 to 407. Trading volume totalled 2.43 billion shares valued at RM2.6bil.
Dealers said continued profit-taking in selected heavyweights and cautious positioning kept buying momentum muted, despite stronger-than-expected GDP data.
They added that investors remained cautious amid softer regional cues and external uncertainties, prompting broad-based selling across sectors.
Malaysia’s economy grew 6.3% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2025, marking its fastest quarterly expansion in three years and exceeding expectations.
For 2025, the economy expanded 5.2%, outperforming the official forecast range and improving from 5.1% growth in 2024.
Among the decliners, Nestle slid RM1.60 to RM109, Malaysian Pacific Industries
lost RM1.22 to RM29.78, Hong Leong Financial Group fell 58 sen to RM22.10 and Hong Leong Bank gave up 58 sen to RM24.12.
In contrast, United Plantations rose 56 sen to RM30.18, Hong Leong Industries added 36 sen to RM18.98, Quality Concrete gained 5 sen to RM1.28 and Heineken climbed 20 sen to RM24.60.
Newly listed Hock Soon Capital fell 6.67%, or four sen, to 56 sen, emerging as one of the most active counters on Bursa Malaysia with 64.2 million shares traded.
On the forex market, the ringgit weaken 0.1% against the US dollar to 3.9068 but inched up 0.17% against the Singapore dollar to 3.0910.
Stock market data showed that foreign investors were net sellers on Thursday, offloading RM100mil worth of equities on Bursa Malaysia.
Meanwhile, local institutions and retailers were net buyers, acquiring equities worth RM95mil and RM5mil respectively.
Around the region, MSCI’s Asia ex-Japan stock index fell 1.02%, with most major bourses ending in negative territory. Among the key regional markets:
Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed down 1.21% at 56,941.97;
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 1.72% to 26,567.12;
South Korea’s Kospi declined 0.28% to 5,507.01;
China’s CSI300 Index lost 1.25% to 4,660.41;
Taiwan’s Taiex closed up 1.61% at 33,605.71 and;
Singapore’s Straits Times Index fell 1.57% to 4,937.78 points.
