Bursa Malaysia settled the morning session almost flat amid cautious sentiment on regional bourses, ahead of the upcoming US Federal Open Market Committee meeting on Jan 31, said a dealer.
At lunch break on Thursday (Jan 12), the benchmark FBM KLCI had risen slightly by 0.20 of a point to 1,488.07, from Wednesday’s close at 1,487.87.
The market bellwether, which opened 0.70 of a point firmer at 1,488.57, moved between 1,486.15 and 1,491.35 throughout the morning session.
However, market breadth was negative, with losers outpacing gainers 390 versus 373, while 411 counters were unchanged, 1,028 untraded, and 12 others suspended.
Turnover amounted to 2.17 billion units worth RM1.43 billion.
Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd said the tourism and aviation sectors may remain resilient amid the influx of Chinese travellers, while the technology sector may sustain its uptrend, with the Nasdaq notching up the fourth day of gains.
“Meanwhile, the energy sector may outperform the broader market, following a surge in crude oil prices,” it said.
Among the heavyweights, Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) lost three sen to RM8.80 a share, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) shed one sen to RM9.39, Public Bank Bhd gained one sen to RM4.32, Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd added seven sen to RM8.37, and CIMB Group Holdings Bhd was flat at RM5.77.
As for the actives, DS Sigma Holdings Bhd ticked up 1.5 sen to 67 sen, Tex Cycle Technology (M) Bhd widened 5.5 sen to 65.5 sen, Leform Bhd inched up half a sen to 23 sen and SMTrack Bhd rose half a sen to 4.5 sen, and Nylex (Malaysia) Bhd decreased two sen to 43 sen.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index garnered 14.75 points to 10,741.13, the FBMT 100 Index advanced 14.62 points to 10,438.54, the FBM Emas Shariah Index inched up 21.58 points to 10,938.67, the FBM 70 Index climbed 75.85 points to 13,345.16, and the FBM ACE Index firmed 31.00 points to 5,440.76.
Sector-wise, the Energy Index perked 8.74 points to 822.64, the Technology Index improved 0.88 of a point to 65.92, the Industrial Products and Services Index went up 0.71 of a point to 184.01, while the Financial Services Index shrank 32.66 points to 16,532.80, and the Plantation Index decreased 15.10 points to 6,919.58.
