Bursa Malaysia traded lower at midday as profit-taking in heavyweight banking and plantation counters dragged the benchmark index, despite selective buying in plantation and small-cap technology stocks.
At 12:30pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 9.76 points, or 0.57%, to 1,701.63, with broader indices also in the red as sentiment remained cautious.
The FBM Emas down 60.94 points or 0.48% to 12,602.32, the FBM 70 slipped 56.90 points or 0.31% to 18,033.90, FBM Shariah declined 35.02 points or 0.28% to 12,454.69, while the F4GBM eased 5.03 points or 0.49% to 1,022.09, suggesting mild weakness even among sustainability-focused constituents.
Market breadth was negative, with 502 decliners outpacing 341 gainers, while 443 counters were unchanged, reflecting a broadly softer tone across the market.
Heavyweight drag came from CIMB Group Holdings Bhd, which slipped 15 sen to RM7.63, along with Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd, down 16 sen to RM4.42. Sunway Construction Group Bhd eased 13 sen to RM7.29, while Nestlé (M) Bhd fell 12 sen to RM95.02, adding to index pressure.
On the upside, plantation counters provided some support, led by Malaysian Pacific Industries Bhd, which surged 82 sen to RM49.38, while United Plantations Bhd gained 74 sen to RM32.54. PPB Group Bhd rose 30 sen to RM9.60 and Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd added 48 sen to RM28.36, reflecting selective buying interest in defensives and commodities-linked stocks.
Trading activity remained active with 1.51 billion shares changing hands worth RM1.17 billion.
Among the most active stocks, Dagang NeXchange led volumes, jumping 4.5 sen to 43 sen, followed by Top Glove Corporation Bhd, which eased one sen to 71 sen. Zetrix AI Bhd was unchanged at 77 sen, while Tanco Holdings Bhd slipped 0.5 sen to 14 sen and Pentamaster Corporation Bhd rose 2.5 sen to 33.5 sen.
