Bursa opens lower, tracking Wall Street decline

Bursa Malaysia opened trading lower on Thursday, mirroring a decline on Wall Street, as heightened US inflation and renewed expectations of more Federal Reserve tightening dampened investor confidence. At 9:15 AM, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI index slipped 10.22 points, or 0.63%, to 1,617.50 from Wednesday's close of 1,627.72. The index had opened 2.62 points lower at 1,625.10.

Across the broader market, more stocks fell than rose, with 449 decliners to 86 advancers. Of those, 276 remained unchanged, while 2,032 were untraded and nine were suspended. Trading volume was at 315.47 million units, valued at RM178.50 million. Apex Securities Bhd noted improved market breadth and bargain-hunting in large-cap stocks on Wednesday, indicating stabilizing domestic sentiment, though gains remained restrained by lingering concerns about persistently high interest rates, foreign selling, and geopolitical risks in the Middle East.

Overall, analysts anticipate the KLCI to remain within a tight range, with investors likely to prefer selective domestic and defensive investments. In terms of sectors, Apex Securities noted that transportation and logistics stocks saw mixed trading, bolstered by robust domestic activity but buoyed by fears of soaring oil prices that could escalate fuel costs.

Notable declines included RHB Bank, Kuala Lumpur Kepong, Nestle, Hong Leong Bank, and IOI Corporation. Among the top gainers, Fraser & Neave, Suria Capital, and Allianz Malaysia all saw gains. However, Malaysian Pacific Industries, UMS Integration, Vitrox, UWC, and MI Technovation were among the biggest losers. Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index fell 56.84 points, while the Industrial Products and Services, Plantation, and Energy Indices dropped by 2.52, 65.23, and 4.49 points, respectively.