Selling pressure dominated Bursa Malaysia on March 2 as the decliners overwhelmed the gainers 1,039 to 290, underscoring fragile market sentiment and broad-based weakness across sectors.
Market breadth remained firmly negative, with 392 counters unchanged, 904 untraded and 23 suspended, reflecting cautious investor positioning.
Among the biggest laggards, Nestle (M) Bhd fell RM3 to RM106.90, leading the losers’ board, followed by Hong Leong Industries Bhd, down RM1.18 to RM17.54, and Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd, which shed RM1.04 to RM33.90. Technology-linked Malaysian Pacific Industries Bhd slipped 96 sen to RM31, while Heineken Malaysia Bhd declined 90 sen to RM23.74.
Despite the broader slump, selected heavyweights and plantation counters bucked the trend. Petron Malaysia Refining & Marketing Bhd climbed 44 sen to RM4.59, while Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd gained 39 sen to RM3.39 on robust trading volume of 22.2 million shares. Hibiscus Petroleum Bhd rose 29 sen to RM1.89, emerging as one of the most actively traded stocks, while Petronas Dagangan Bhd and UMS Integration Bhd added 28 sen and 23 sen to close at RM22.26 and RM4.60, respectively.
However, the isolated gains were insufficient to offset the overwhelming sell-off, signalling persistent risk aversion among investors as market participants continued to trim positions ahead of fresh catalysts.
