Bursa Malaysia closed the morning session higher on selected bargain hunting, with the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) edging up 5.75 points to 1,681.25, driven by selective buying.
Market breadth across key indices was similarly uneven, with FBM 70 slipping 46.80 points to 17,954.97, while FBM EMAS rose 17.35 points to 12,469.31 and F4GBM gained 2.59 points to 1,009.86. The FBM SHA index, however, eased 9.48 points to 12,425.90.
Broader market sentiment, however, remained cautious, with losers outpacing gainers 469 to 279. A total of 401 counters were unchanged, while 1,541 were untraded and 14 suspended, underscoring mixed participation across the market.
Selling pressure was most visible in defensive and consumer-linked stocks, with Nestlé (M) Bhd falling 68 sen to RM93.76 on 36,600 lots traded, while Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd slipping 18 sen to RM26.12 with muted volume. Other top decliners for the morning session include KESM Industries Bhd, which dropped 31 sen to RM3.74, while Ajinomoto (M) Bhd eased 28 sen to RM15.20. Tanco Holdings Bhd was among the most heavily hit, 30 sen to 50 sen on very heavy volume of 35.9 million shares, making it both a top loser and one of the most actively traded counters.
On the upside, the gains were concentrated in selected plantation and consumer defensive names. Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd rose 28 sen to RM20.40, while Heineken Malaysia Bhd gained 26 sen to RM19.30. Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd added 18 sen to RM16.40. LPI Capital Bhd climbed 16 sen to RM15.26, extending strength in defensive financials. TMK Chemical Bhd was the standout among lower-priced gainers, jumping 14 sen to RM2.21 on strong turnover of 4.4 million shares.
Trading activity, meanwhile, was dominated by low-priced and thematic counters. Hong Seng Consolidated Bhd topped the list with 701.5 million shares traded, unchanged at 1.5 sen.
Zetrix AI Bhd advanced two sen to 84.5 sen on 142.6 million shares, while Capital A Bhd also eased two sen to 39.5 sen on 32.2 million shares.
Analysts said the session reflected a market split between defensive accumulation in select blue chips and continued speculative interest in lower-priced counters, with overall sentiment still cautious despite the index’s gain.
