Bursa Malaysia remained firmly in negative territory at midday on Oct 8, with the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) tumbling 11.08 points, or 0.69%, to 1,600.70 as persistent selling pressure and higher oil prices weighed on regional equities.
At the 12.30pm break, the benchmark index had fallen from its close of 1,611.78 on Oct 7, after fluctuating between an intraday high of 1,613.45 and a low of 1,597.94.
Selling pressure swept across the broader market, with the FBM 70 suffering the steepest decline, shedding 149.39 points, or 0.84%, to 17,604.10. The FBM Emas declined 85.56 points, or 0.71%, to 12,039.39, while the F4GBM retreated 7.41 points, or 0.75%, to 974.91. The FBM Shariah slipped 73.23 points, or 0.6%, to 12,073.92.
Market breadth remained sharply negative too, with 757 decliners overwhelming 312 gainers, while 429 counters were unchanged, 1,330 untraded and 13 suspended.
Malaysian Pacific Industries Bhd led the losers, plunging RM1.20 to RM44, followed by Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd, which fell 46 sen to RM29.24.
United Plantations Bhd shed 40 sen to RM30.78, Hong Leong Bank Bhd declined 34 sen to RM21.16, while Kelington Group Bhd eased 33 sen to RM8.62.
On the upside, Nestlé (M) Bhd emerged as the top gainer, surging 86 sen to RM89.88, followed by Chin Teck Plantations Bhd, which advanced 26 sen to RM10.54.
Bus Cap Bhd climbed 22.5 sen to RM1.04, Binastra Corporation Bhd gained 18 sen to RM2.68, while Gas Malaysia Bhd rose 14 sen to RM5.39.
On the other hand, Zetrix AI Bhd topped the most active list, with 132.4 million shares traded, closing the morning session unchanged at eight sen after moving between seven sen and 8.5 sen.
Top Glove Corporation Bhd followed with 78.83 million shares changing hands, gaining 3.5 sen to 89 sen, while VS Industry Bhd rose 1.5 sen to 34 sen on 63.61 million shares.
JAKS Resources Bhd advanced half a sen to 18 sen, with 60.31 million shares traded, while NationGate Holdings Bhd climbed five sen to RM1.91 on 42.9 million shares.
Trading volume stood at 2.1 billion shares worth RM1.65 billion.
The midday performance reflected continued risk aversion among investors, with broad-based declines overshadowing selective buying interest in consumer, construction and technology-related counters.
