BURSA MALAYSIA ENDS LITTLE CHANGED ON SUBDUED TRADING

By Siti Radziah Hamzah

KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia’s benchmark index closed flat to settle at slightly below the 1,500-mark on Monday as investors balanced persistent global uncertainties with signs of underlying domestic resilience, said an analyst. 

At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) inched up 0.07 of-a-point to 1,499.47 compared to Friday’s close of 1,499.40.

The benchmark index opened 2.68 points higher at an intraday high of 1,502.08 and hit an intraday low of 1,494.27 during the early afternoon session. 

In the broader market, decliners outpaced gainers 512 to 308, while 463 counters were unchanged, 1,142 untraded, and 39 others suspended. 

Turnover dwindled to 1.53 billion units valued at RM1.19 billion against Friday’s 1.69 billion units valued at RM1.24 billion.   

UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors Sdn Bhd head of investment research Mohd Sedek Jantan said while external headwinds, including trade negotiations and economic data variability, continued to shape sentiment, today’s market activity appeared to be a natural pause following last week’s 3.0 per cent rebound.

He added that the moderation is likely temporary as markets digest recent gains and await further clarity on key developments.

Mohd Sedek noted that much of the market’s current tone reflects caution around the US President Donald Trump administration’s evolving tariff agenda.

“Ongoing high-level discussions with Japan and Indonesia, along with upcoming negotiations involving South Korea and Malaysia scheduled for April 24, indicate meaningful diplomatic engagement. While the absence of a definitive tariff framework keeps speculation alive, these negotiations could lay the groundwork for more stable trade dynamics,” he told Bernama.

“Any constructive progress, particularly in bilateral agreements, might serve to ease investor concerns and provide much-needed direction for export-dependent sectors,” he added.

Among Bursa Malaysia’s heavyweights, Public Bank added one sen to RM4.40, Hong Leong Bank increased 14 sen to RM19.98, CelcomDigi advanced eight sen to RM3.67, IHH Healthcare and Petronas Gas were flat at RM6.89 and RM16.90, respectively, Maybank declined four sen to RM9.98, while Tenaga Nasional and CIMB both eased two sen to RM13.48 and RM6.86, respectively. 

As for the actives, NexG went up 2.5 sen to 34.5 sen, Magma rose by 7.5 sen to 37 sen, Peterlabs was 4.5 sen higher at 29.5 sen, Ingenieur Gudang and MY E.G. were flat at four sen and 91 sen, respectively, while Tanco and Velesto both dipped one sen to 88 sen and 15 sen, respectively.  

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index decreased 26.11 points to 11,095.39, the FBMT 100 Index shed 19.02 points to 10,885.71, the FBM Emas Shariah Index went down 25.06 points to 10,885.07, the FBM 70 Index lost 105.39 points to 15,508.24, and the FBM ACE Index gave up 9.18 points to 4,566.20. 

Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index trimmed 24.37 points to 18,009.15, the Industrial Products and Services Index edged down 1.05 points to 144.03, the Energy Index slipped 5.86 points to 660.01, and the Plantation Index fell 15.25 points to 7,211.13. 

The Main Market volume decreased to 1.08 billion units worth RM1.09 billion against Friday’s 1.22 billion units worth RM1.14 billion. 

Warrants turnover declined to 155.08 million units valued at RM96.06 million from 173.07 million units valued at RM96.45 million previously. 

The ACE Market volume rose to 301.51 million units worth RM91.09 million compared to 295.24 million units worth RM94.17 million last Friday. 

Consumer products and services counters accounted for 176.74 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (221.82 million), construction (91.41 million), technology (165.67 million), SPAC (nil), financial services (43.91 million), property (131.81 million), plantation (11.53 million), REITs (93.82 million), closed/fund (2,300), energy (91.36 million), healthcare (54.34 million), telecommunications and media (26.38 million), transportation and logistics (23.93 million), utilities (29.68 million), and business trusts (6,700).

-- BERNAMA