Bursa Malaysia closed lower on Aug 19 as elevated US Treasury yields and weakness in technology stocks weighed on sentiment, although gains in healthcare and telecommunications counters helped cushion the decline.
At 5pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slipped 2.04 points, or 0.12%, to 1,731.32. The index traded between 1,725.95 and 1,733.44 during the session.
The broader market also ended in negative territory, with the FBM 70 fell 77.39 points, or 0.42%, to 18,134.27, while the F4GBM declined 2.13 points, or 0.2%, to 1,038.69.
The FBM Emas eased 24.96 points, or 0.19%, to 12,804.74, while the FBM Shariah dropped 31.61 points, or 0.25%, to 12,635.13.
Zetrix AI Bhd was the most actively traded stock, with 143.35 million shares changing hands as the counter gained two sen to 65.5 sen after trading between 63 sen and 66 sen.
Jaks Resources Bhd slipped one sen to 12 sen on 66.5 million shares, while Pentech Holdings Bhd advanced 2.5 sen to 31.5 sen with 60.48 million shares traded. Nexgram Holdings Bhd ended unchanged at six sen on 58.63 million shares.
Meanwhile, AirAsia Group Bhd fell seven sen to 91.5 sen after trading between 91 sen and 98.5 sen, with 57.99 million shares changing hands.
Trading activity eased, with total turnover falling to 3.31 billion units valued at RM2.92 billion compared to 3.74 billion units worth RM2.91 billion on Aug 18.
Despite pockets of strength in healthcare and telecommunications stocks, cautious sentiment prevailed as investors digested higher US yields and continued pressure on technology counters.
