KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia was predictably quiet on Monday as traders cleared their desks in preparation for the Lunar New Year holiday.
The FBM KLCI was down 1.5 points to 1,737.16 in the opening minutes of trading amid some last-minute profit-taking before the market closed for a two-day holiday.
99 Speed Mart led the decline, falling 11 sen to RM3.84, while Gamuda shed three sen to RM4.14 and PETRONAS Chemicals dropped three sen to RM3.29.
Most active shares included Hong Seng up 0.5 sen to one sen, Zentech unchanged at 0.5 sen and TWL unmoved at 2.5 sen.
Apex Research said in its outlook that external concerns over the Federal Reserve interest rate and AI-drive disruption could temper the regional risk appetite.
However, it noted that Malaysia's stronger-than-expected 4Q 2025 GDP growth of 6.3% provides a supportive macro foundation.
"We expect the local bourse to remain in a consolidative mode in the near term as investors await clearer global policy direction and fresh domestic catalysts," it said.
On the technical charts, TA Securities said conflicting signals in the short- and medium-term indicators point to the FBM KLCI remaining in consolidation mode over the coming week.
"Trading activity is expected to stay subdued during the shortened session period, as investors avoid major commitments ahead of the Chinese New Year holidays," it said.
