KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 — Bursa Malaysia ended marginally lower today as investors awaited further corporate earnings results for clearer market direction, an analyst said.
At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 0.15 of a point to 1,736.33 from last Friday’s close of 1,736.48.
The benchmark index opened 1.83 points higher at 1,738.31, and fluctuated between 1,733.07 and 1,739.47 throughout the day.
On the broader market, losers trounced gainers 714 to 482, while 539 counters were unchanged, 1,139 untraded and 46 suspended.
Turnover decreased to 3.60 billion units valued at RM3.03 billion from 3.91 billion units valued at RM3.32 billion last Friday.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said the index continues to hold above the 1,730 level, suggesting that underlying support remains intact despite cautious trading sentiment.
“We believe stronger earnings results from index heavyweights could provide the catalyst for the next upward move, while resilient domestic fundamentals should continue to cushion the downside.
“As such, we expect the FBM KLCI to trade within the 1,725-1,745 range for the week,” he told Bernama.
Meanwhile, IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan said trading sentiment was further subdued ahead of tomorrow’s public holiday in Malaysia, which contributed to a more cautious and less aggressive trading environment.
Bursa Malaysia will be closed tomorrow, Aug 25, 2026, in conjunction with Prophet Muhammad’s birthday.
Mohd Sedek said investors are now focusing on the Jackson Hole symposium later this week, where investors will closely monitor signals from US policymakers on the interest-rate outlook.
“For Bursa Malaysia, the combination of weaker technology sentiment, global yield concerns and a shortened trading week is likely to keep investors selective, with domestic and defensive sectors potentially offering greater resilience,” he said.
Among the heavyweights, Maybank eased four sen to RM10.56, while Public Bank and CIMB Group inched up one sen each to RM5.10 and RM7.96, respectively. Tenaga Nasional erased 10 sen to RM14.30 and IHH Healthcare slipped 13 sen to RM8.15.
On the most active list, Zetrix AI was half a sen higher at 65.5 sen, Dagang NeXchange and AirAsia fell three sen each to 48 sen and 78 sen, respectively, KPJ Healthcare slid 32 sen to RM2.80, and NexG shed 5.0 sen to 27 sen.
Top gainers included Petronas Dagangan, which firmed 38 sen to RM20.00, MISC jumped 35 sen to RM8.58, Sarawak Plantation and Kuala Lumpur Kepong rose 28 sen each to RM4.82 and RM21.92, respectively, and Concrete Engineering Products soared 26 sen to RM3.90.
Top losers were led by Malaysian Pacific Industries, which fell RM1.70 to RM41.50. Allianz Malaysia dipped 58 sen to RM21.70, UMS Integration lost 35 sen to RM8.29, while Kelington Group and UWC gave up 25 sen each to RM8.36 and RM6.49, respectively.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Shariah Index lost 12.43 points to 12,629.36, the FBM ACE Index slid 35.21 points to 5,298.58, and the FBM 70 Index dipped 81.79 points to 18,069.24.
The FBM Emas Index decreased 13.68 points to 12,818.60 and the FBM Top 100 Index reduced 15.13 points to 12,635.79.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index gained 5.02 points to 20,270.42, while the Industrial Products and Services Index edged down 0.16 of a point to 187.06.
The Plantation Index soared 69.77 points to 9,510.43 and the Energy Index edged up 0.41 of a point to 777.44.
The Main Market volume narrowed to 1.93 billion units valued at RM2.65 billion compared with 2.00 billion units valued at RM2.91 billion last Friday.
Warrants turnover declined to 1.06 billion units worth RM142.28 million versus 1.32 billion units worth RM165.20 million previously.
The ACE Market volume advanced to 608.82 million units valued at RM245.09 million from 578.51 million units valued at RM241.31 million on Friday.
Consumer products and services counters accounted for 364.80 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (403.33 million), construction (98.39 million), technology (458.30 million), financial services (49.02 million), property (119.72 million), plantation (44.68 million), real estate investment trusts (14.47 million), closed-end fund (29,200), energy (88.77 million), healthcare (153.77 million), telecommunications and media (24.48 million), transportation and logistics (62.25 million), utilities (49.47 million), and business trusts (91,700). — Bernama
Date: 24 August, 2026 6:40 pm
Source: Malay Mail
💬 Join the Conversation! 💬
We’ve disabled comments on our posts and pages to keep the discussions organized and lively! But don’t worry – the conversation isn’t over. Head over to our forum and share your thoughts, ideas, and feedback with the community! It’s the perfect place to connect, learn, and engage with others who care about the same things. We can’t wait to hear from you!