Bursa Slips At Midday As West Asia Tensions Offset Wall Street Gains
Bursa Malaysia retreated at midday on April 9, tracking cautious sentiment as renewed uncertainty in West Asia overshadowed overnight gains on Wall Street.
At 12:30pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 12.75 points, or 0.75%, to 1,683.56 from its close of 1,696.31 on April 8.
Across the broader market, the FBM Emas shed 78.60 points (0.63%) to 12,334.33, the FBM 70 slipped 52.30 points (0.3%) to 17,136.42, the FBM Shariah declined 39.29 points (0.32%) to 12,202.35 and the F4GBM eased 6.62 points (0.66%) to 995.63.
Market breadth was negative, with losers outpacing gainers 596 to 311, while 483 counters were unchanged, 1,318 untraded and 12 suspended.
Active trading was led by Zetrix AI Bhd, Top Glove Corporation Bhd and Borneo Oil Bhd, with Top Glove among the few bright spots, rising 5.5 sen to 79 sen. Bumi Armada Bhd also edged higher, gaining one sen to 36.5 sen, while VS Industry Bhd slipped half a sen to 19 sen.
On the broader board, Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd topped the gainers list, up 20 sen to RM5.79, followed by United Plantations Bhd and Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd. Hibiscus Petroleum Bhd also advanced 16 sen to RM2.10.
Meanwhile, Nestlé (M) Bhd led decliners, sliding RM1.30 to RM99.70, with Petronas Dagangan Bhd down RM1.12 to RM20.86 and PPB Group Bhd losing 30 sen to RM11.90.
The weaker tone comes as investors remain wary of geopolitical developments, with stalled negotiations in West Asia dampening risk appetite despite earlier optimism from a ceasefire agreement.
