KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia’s key index rebounded from earlier losses to end the morning session higher, outperforming regional peers as continued buying in plantation heavyweight stocks supported market sentiment.
At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 1.15 points, or 0.07 per cent, to 1,612.31 from Thursday’s close of 1,611.16.
The benchmark index opened 0.70 points higher at 1,611.86 and traded between 1,606.72 and 1,612.99 during the morning session.
However, in the broader market, losers outnumbered gainers 602 to 313, while 436 counters were unchanged, 1,429 remained untraded, and 66 were suspended.
Turnover stood at 1.89 billion units worth RM1.08 billion.
Regionally, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index fell 2.35 per cent to 63,141.38, Singapore’s Straits Times index edged down 0.44 per cent to 5,372.28, while South Korea’s KOSPI index slid 3.90 per cent to 5,705.88. However, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 1.64 per cent to 23,335.66.
Apex Securities Bhd said uncertainty over quarter three 2026 corporate earnings and portfolio positioning ahead of the FBM KLCI’s phased expansion from 30 to 50 constituents should keep flows choppy.
"Market sentiment was also compounded by the political overhang from Sarawak’s dissolved state assembly ahead of its 13th state election and the Nov 14 Melaka polls.
"We expect the FBM KLCI to remain range-bound with a selective defensive bias in the near term, as investors weigh external and domestic uncertainties,” it said in a note today.
Among heavyweight stocks, Kuala Lumpur Kepong rose 38 sen to RM20.90, while SD Guthrie increased six sen to RM5.83. Public Bank added one sen to RM4.74, while Tenaga Nasional and CIMB were flat at RM13.30 and RM6.89, respectively.
In active trade, Zetrix AI fell 1.5 sen to 6.5 sen, JAKS Resources shed half a sen to 14.5 sen, GIIB Holdings decreased 18.5 sen to 35.5 sen, Ni Hsin
shed 14 sen to 23 sen, while VS Industry fell one sen to 33 sen.
United Plantations topped the gainers, rising 24 sen to RM29.24, followed by Nestle, which added 22 sen to RM96.12. APM Automotive - Bernama
