Bursa Malaysia ended the trading week on a firmer footing after a late rally in banking stocks lifted the benchmark index into positive territory, capping a week that began with investors remaining on the sidelines amid a lack of fresh market catalysts.
The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) closed at 1,667.75 on Friday, up 3.92 points or 0.24% from Thursday’s close of 1,663.82, as heavyweight banking counters staged a late rebound to reverse earlier losses.
The week’s performance marked a turnaround from Monday’s subdued opening, when the local bourse started on a softer note as investors adopted a cautious wait-and-see approach due to the absence of major leads from regional markets and Wall Street.
Throughout the week, sentiment remained broadly cautious, with investors focusing on stock-specific opportunities while monitoring external developments. Plantation, consumer and energy-linked heavyweights weighed on the benchmark during the early part of the week, while banking counters traded mixed before emerging as the key driver of Friday’s gains.
Maybank led Friday’s advance, climbing eight sen to RM10.80, while Public Bank and CIMB Group each gained two sen to close at RM4.83 and RM7.41 respectively. Tenaga Nasional also contributed to the benchmark’s rise, adding 10 sen to RM14.34, although IHH Healthcare slipped three sen to RM8.54.
Despite the benchmark finishing higher, broader market performance remained mixed. The FBM 70 fell 173.42 points to 17,726.19, while the FBM Emas eased 15.13 points to 12,365.02. The FBM Shariah declined 46.38 points to 12,241.30 and the F4GBM edged 0.89 points lower to 1,002.41.
Trading activity also moderated towards the end of the week, with turnover easing to 2.93 billion shares worth RM2.26 billion on Friday from 3.18 billion shares valued at RM2.89 billion in the previous session, reflecting continued investor caution.
Among actively traded counters, Zetrix AI ended unchanged at 77 sen, Widad Group slipped half a sen to one sen, AirAsia X fell five sen to RM1.18, while Dagang NeXchange declined 2.5 sen to 42 sen.
Overall, Bursa Malaysia navigated a week characterised by cautious sentiment and selective buying, with bargain hunting in blue-chip counters and renewed strength in banking stocks helping the local market close the week on a positive note despite lingering concerns over the external market outlook.
