KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 — Bursa Malaysia ended lower today, with the benchmark index retreating by 0.86 per cent as concerns over escalating tensions in West Asia intensified.
At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 14.67 points to 1,680.83 from Friday’s close of 1,695.50.
The FBM KLCI had opened 1.18 points lower at 1,694.32 and moved between 1,677.78 and 1,697.88 during the day.
In the broader market, losers outnumbered gainers 660 to 361 at the close, while 511 counters were unchanged, 1,115 untraded and 10 suspended.
Turnover shrank to 2.86 billion units worth RM2.72 billion from Friday’s 3.38 billion units worth RM2.95 billion.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research, Thong Pak Leng, said the FBM KLCI fell to its 1,680 key support level, signalling weakening near-term sentiment as selling pressure persists.
He said market participation remained subdued, with investors adopting a defensive stance and rotating into selective commodity-linked and resilient sectors, while broader market breadth stayed weak.
Thong said the lack of strong foreign inflows continues to cap any meaningful recovery, leaving the benchmark index vulnerable to further downside should external conditions deteriorate.
“We maintain a cautious stance and recommend investors reduce exposure and keep cash on hand for better opportunities when market clarity improves. In the near term, volatility is expected to remain elevated, with movements largely dictated by developments in the West Asia conflict and fluctuations in crude oil prices,” he told Bernama.
At the time of writing, Brent crude eased 1.53 per cent to US$107.36 per barrel.
Meanwhile, IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan said the markets were increasingly focused on the risk of disruption to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil supply, where any prolonged blockage could trigger a sustained energy shock.
He added that such a scenario would likely lift inflation, strain current account balances, and weigh on regional growth prospects.
“Against this backdrop, investors adopted a more defensive stance, while gains in energy-related counters offered only limited support,” he told Bernama.
Among the heavyweights, MISC jumped 17 sen to RM8.42, SD Guthrie was flat at RM6.20, CIMB dropped nine sen to RM7.40, Maybank and Tenaga Nasional shed four sen each to RM11.22 and RM14.00, respectively, and Public Bank eased two sen to RM4.64.
On the most active list, VS Industry edged up one sen to 19 sen, Velesto rose half a sen to 35.5 sen, AirAsia X advanced three sen to RM1.19, OCR was flat at 4.5 sen, Top Glove shrank 2.5 sen to 78.5 sen, and Supermax decreased 1.5 sen to 33.5 sen.
Among the top gainers, Fraser & Neave firmed 58 sen to RM29.08, Ayer Holdings improved 34 sen to RM7.35, Apollo Food surged 18 sen to RM5.80, and United Plantations strengthened 16 sen to RM34.20.
As for the top losers, Kuala Lumpur Kepong erased 68 sen to RM22.20, Petronas Dagangan went down 54 sen to RM20.68, Hong Leong Bank reduced 48 sen to RM21.24, and IHH Healthcare lost 37 sen to RM8.59.
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AP –
On the index board, the FBM Top 100 Index trimmed 103.21 points to 12,147.91, the FBM Emas Index slumped 98.09 points to 12,294.07, the FBM Emas Shariah Index tumbled 105.30 points to 12,164.26, the FBM ACE Index eased 9.46 points to 4,300.46, and the FBM Mid 70 Index notched down 132.45 points to 17,008.48.
By sector, the Financial Services Index shaved off 182.66 points to 19,667.06, the Plantation Index contracted 37.85 points to 9,117.66, the Industrial Products and Services Index declined 1.80 points to 182.95, and the Energy Index weakened 6.96 points to 811.56.
The Main Market volume eased to 1.88 billion units valued at RM2.56 billion from Friday’s 2.37 billion units valued at RM2.78 billion.
Warrants turnover fell to 737.32 million units worth RM67.73 million from 749.15 million units worth RM74.13 million previously.
The ACE Market volume shrank to 247.03 million units valued at RM94.07 million versus 266.53 million units valued at RM89.92 million on Friday.
Consumer products and services counters accounted for 189.71 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (418.59 million), construction (158.18 million), technology (179.16 million), financial services (65.86 million), property (125.79 million), plantation (62.79 million), real estate investment trusts (27.17 million), closed-end fund (22,900), energy (22.48 million), healthcare (322.16 million), telecommunications and media (28.17 million), transportation and logistics (26.74 million), utilities (55.02 million), and business trusts (60,600). — Bernama
Date: 6 April, 2026 8:00 pm
Source: Malay Mail
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