Bursa Malaysia closed the morning session higher on June 5, supported by continued buying interest in heavyweight consumer and plantation stocks despite broader market weakness.
The benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 12.75 points, or 0.76%, to 1,696.01 at 12:30pm, edging closer to the key 1,700-point level after touching an intraday high of 1,698.53.
Gains in selected blue-chip counters helped lift the market, with plantation heavyweight United Plantations Bhd rising 86 sen to RM32.16, while Petronas Dagangan Bhd added 38 sen to RM19.16, Petronas Gas Bhd climbed 34 sen to RM17.54 and Hong Leong Bank Bhd advanced 22 sen to RM21.20.
However, the broader market remained cautious, with losers outnumbering gainers 572 to 405, reflecting selective buying amid ongoing profit-taking in the wider market. A total of 548 counters were unchanged, while 1,150 stocks remained untraded.
Among the biggest decliners, Nestlé (M) Bhd fell RM1.10 to RM94.02, Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd slipped 56 sen to RM26.32, Malaysian Pacific Industries Bhd lost 38 sen to RM47.06, while Kelington Group Bhd and Sunway Construction Group Bhd shed 28 sen and 26 sen respectively.
Trading activity was led by Zetrix AI Bhd, which rose half a sen to 83 sen with more than 60.7 million shares changing hands. CBH Engineering Holding Bhd gained 5.5 sen to 67.5 sen, while GIIB Holdings Bhd eased 0.5 sen to 46.5 sen. Pharmaniaga Bhd fell one sen to 28 sen and Bina Puri Holdings Bhd was unchanged at 29.5 sen.
Across the broader market, the FBM Emas rose 60.33 points to 12,621.85, while the FBM Shariah added 21.73 points to 12,594.38. The FBM 70 Index, however, slipped 30.79 points to 18,335.16.
Overall, investor focus remains on heavyweight defensive and dividend-yielding stocks, which continue to underpin market sentiment amid a mixed broader market performance.
