KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI closed in the red for a second straight session, underperforming its regional peers.
The market bellwether fell 6.2 points, or 0.35%, to 1,747.81, recovering from its intraday low of 1,744.46 after hitting a high of 1,755.36.
Trading sentiment was evenly balanced, as 539 counters rose, 541 declined and 539 were unchanged, with turnover at 2.52 billion shares worth RM2.93bil.
A dealer said the FBM KLCI may attract bargain hunting following recent losses.
However, he said sentiment remains cautious as uncertainties over US tariff policies linger, clouding the global trade outlook and weighing on investor appetite.
Among the decliners, Nestle lost 50 sen to RM11.50, Kuala Lumpur Kepong fell 42 sen to RM19.18, Telekom Malaysia lost 39 sen to RM7.75 and Allianz declined 22 sen to RM22.08.
Malaysian Pacific Industries
emerged as the top gainer on Bursa Malaysia, surging 78 sen to RM32. PETRONAS Dagangan jumped 56 sen to RM21.96, United Plantations rose 54 sen to RM30.16 and Sunway Construction climbed 31 sen to RM6.90.
ACE Market debutant Teamstar fell 9.62%, or 2.5 sen, to 23.5 sen. It was the second most active counter on Bursa Malaysia, with 80.22 million shares traded.
Meanwhile, the ringgit was quoted at 3.8882 against the greenback, up 0.17%, bringing its year-to-date gain to about 4.4%.
The local currency was up 0.07% against the euro at 4.5877. It rose 0.01% against the pound sterling at 5.2575 and gained 0.07% against the Singapore dollar at 3.0733.
Elsewhere in the region, Asian shares closed higher, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 rising 2.2%, South Korea’s Kospi gaining 1.91%, the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong advancing 0.66%, while China’s CSI300 index added 0.6% and the Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.72%.
