Bursa Malaysia remained in negative territory at midday on June 22, dragged by subdued buying interest as investors stayed on the sidelines amid uncertainty surrounding US-Iran peace negotiations.
At 12:30pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 0.21% or 3.67 points to 1,708.36, extending a cautious tone that has kept the benchmark range-bound through the morning session.
Broader indices also ended lower, with the FBM 70 down 90.57 points to 18,072.01, while the FBM Emas eased 35.28 points to 12,645.77 and the FBM Shariah declined by 38.65 points to 12,520.01.
Market breadth remained negative, with decliners leading gainers 503 to 415. A total of 552 counters were unchanged, while 1,245 were untraded and 14 suspended, underscoring the lack of conviction buying.
The selling pressure were seen in Malaysian Pacific Industries Bhd, Nestlé (M) Bhd, PPB Group Bhd, United Plantations Bhd and Allianz Malaysia Bhd, which featured among the top losers at mid-session.
On the upside, technology and consumer-related stocks provided pockets of support. SkyeChip Bhd led the gainers’ list with a sharp advance of 23 sen to RM3.32, followed by Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd, Heineken Malaysia Bhd, TMK Chemical Bhd and Batu Kawan Bhd, which posted modest gains amid selective interest.
Trading activity remained elevated, with turnover reaching 1.84 billion shares worth RM1.12 billion, driven largely by active speculative counters.
Among the most actively traded stocks, Tanco Holdings Bhd dominated volumes with 72.5 million shares changing hand despite extending losses, while Dagang NexChange, Zetrix AI Bhd, SKP Resources Bhd and GIIB Holdings Bhd saw brisk turnover with mixed price performance.
Overall, the midday session reflected a cautious and selective market tone, with investors remaining focused on geopolitical developments and awaiting clearer signals before rebuilding exposure.
