KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia ended marginally lower yesterday as investors awaited further corporate earnings results for clearer market direction, an analyst says.
At 5pm, the FBM KLCI eased 0.15 of a point to 1,736.33 from last Friday’s close of 1,736.48.
The benchmark index opened 1.83 points higher at 1,738.31, and fluctuated between 1,733.07 and 1,739.47 throughout the day.
On the broader market, losers trounced gainers 714 to 482, while 539 counters were unchanged, 1,139 untraded and 46 suspended.
Turnover decreased to 3.60 billion units valued at RM3.03bil from 3.91 billion units valued at RM3.32bil last Friday.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said the index continues to hold above the 1,730 level, suggesting that underlying support remains intact despite cautious trading sentiment.
“We believe stronger earnings results from index heavyweights could provide the catalyst for the next upward move, while resilient domestic fundamentals should continue to cushion the downside.
“As such, we expect the FBM KLCI to trade within the 1,725-1,745 range for the week,” he told Bernama.
Meanwhile, IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan said trading sentiment was further subdued ahead of today’s public holiday in Malaysia, which contributed to a more cautious and less aggressive trading environment.
Bursa Malaysia will be closed on Aug 25, 2026 in conjunction with Prophet Muhammad’s birthday.
Mohd Sedek said investors are now focusing on the Jackson Hole symposium later this week, where investors will closely monitor signals from US policymakers on the interest-rate outlook.
