Bursa Malaysia opened slightly lower on Monday as key indices slipped in early trade, with investors taking a cautious stance amid mild selling pressure across several heavyweight counters.
The benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 2.77 points or 0.16% to 1,688.72 at 9.21am, after opening at 1,693.30. The index traded between an early high of 1,693.30 and a low of 1,687.80.
The broader market also saw weakness, with the FTSE Bursa Malaysia Top 100 Index (FBM 100) declining 19.71 points or 0.16% to 12,334.62, while the FBM 70 Index eased 26.21 points or 0.15% to 17,832.26.
The FBM Small Cap Index bucked the overall trend, rising 26.42 points or 0.17% to 15,552.14, indicating some buying interest among smaller-cap stocks.
The FBM EMAS Index slipped 17.18 points or 0.14% to 12,506.63, while the construction sector index declined 0.15% to 280.39 and consumer products and services fell 0.30% to 501.34.
Among sectors, energy stocks emerged as early gainers, with the energy index climbing 4.92 points or 0.64% to 773.74.
Trading activity was led by Tanco Holdings Bhd, which emerged as the most actively traded counter with 634.94 million shares changing hands. The stock gained 1.5 sen to 21 sen.
Other actively traded stocks included ASB Bhd, which fell 0.5 sen to 7.5 sen with 170.66 million shares traded, while G3 Global Bhd declined 0.5 sen to 1 sen after 152.03 million shares changed hands.
Among the top gainers, LPI Capital Bhd rose 20 sen to RM15.20, followed by Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd, which gained 16 sen to RM4.46. UMediC Group Bhd added 12 sen to RM6.10.
On the losing side, Malaysian Pacific Industries Bhd was the biggest decliner, falling 50 sen to RM45.50. Nestle (Malaysia) Bhd dropped 34 sen to RM91.46, while Petronas Dagangan Bhd slipped 26 sen to RM19.30.
