KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI remained flat at midday, with choppy trading as investors stayed cautious amid mixed domestic and global news.
The market barometer ended largely unchanged, slipping just 0.53 points, or 0.03%, to 1,716.15, after rebounding from an intraday low of 1,710.89.
On Bursa Malaysia, 371 stocks advanced, 499 declined, and 512 remained unchanged, with a total turnover of 1.56 billion shares worth RM1.34bil.
Among the gainers, Malaysian Pacific Industries rose 62 sen to RM29.52, PETRONAS Dagangan added 40 sen to RM22, PETRONAS Chemicals climbed 32 sen to RM5.78, and Nestle gained 28 sen to RM98.28.
On the downside, Heineken slipped 28 sen to RM22.76, Carlsberg lost 14 sen to RM16.80, Concrete Engineering Products fell 14 sen to RM1.85, and PETRONAS Gas declined 12 sen to RM17.68.
TA Securities said further gains are likely to be limited, noting that upside momentum is constrained by a lack of fresh domestic drivers and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty.
The brokerage said immediate resistance for the index is at the 123.6% Fibonacci projection (1,759), with the next upside hurdle at the 138.2% level (1,804), followed by stronger resistance at the 150% projection (1,841).
“On the downside, immediate support remains at the January 2026 low (1,666), with stronger support seen at the 76.4%FR (1,610), followed by the 61.8%FR (1,564),” TA Securities said.
Separately, Apex Securities said that any follow-through on de-escalation could ease near-term pressure on Malaysian markets, supporting a lift in investor sentiment.
“As crude oil prices remain elevated, they continue to provide support to selected index-linked and energy-related names.
“Going forward, both global and Malaysian markets are likely to remain headline-driven, with sentiment shaped by de-escalation developments. In addition, commodity trends will remain as a key catalyst,” Apex said.