Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the finance minister, is scheduled to table Budget 2026 in Parliament tomorrow.
IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Sedek Jantan said the improving market breadth reflects a more constructive risk appetite and a gradual shift in investor positioning towards cyclical recovery themes.
“The FBM70 recorded a strong rebound, signalling that mid-cap counters outperformed, a pattern typically observed in markets anticipating growth-oriented fiscal policies.
“It has served as a barometer of domestic investor sentiment ahead of the national budget announcements,” he added.
“The recent strength in mid-cap stocks, therefore, suggests that investors are positioning for a fiscal framework that reinforces domestic demand, stimulates private investment and supports Malaysia’s medium-term growth trajectory,” he told Bernama.
At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 2.17 points, or 0.13% to 1,629.67 from yesterday’s close of 1,627.50.
The benchmark index had opened 1.37 points higher at 1,628.87 and moved between 1,626.67 and 1,632.53 throughout the trading session.
Market breadth was positive with gainers outpacing decliners 743 to 391, while 493 counters were unchanged, 975 remained untraded and seven were suspended.
Turnover expanded to 4.74 billion units worth RM3.62 billion, compared with 3.66 billion units valued at RM2.72 billion yesterday.
Among the heavyweights, Maybank and IHH Healthcare remained unchanged at RM10 and RM8.10, respectively. Public Bank lost 5 sen to RM4.29, CIMB fell 9 sen to RM7.57, while Tenaga Nasional gained 8 sen to RM13.28.
On the most active list, Top Glove increased 9 sen to 67 sen, Borneo Oil and Tanco were flat at 0.5 sen and 85 sen respectively, Land & General and Zetrix AI edged up 1.5 sen each to 18 sen and 85 sen.
Top gainers included Malaysian Pacific Industries and Ajinomoto, which surged 34 sen each to RM31.16 and RM13.98. Malayan Cement climbed 30 sen to RM7.08; Nestle and Hong Leong Industries were 26 sen higher at RM99.56 and RM14.28, respectively.
Top losers included Bintulu Port and Petronas Dagangan which declined 30 sen each to RM5.50 and RM22.70 respectively; Fraser and Neave dipped 28 sen to RM28.10 and LPI lost 10 sen to RM14.38.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index added 66.75 points to 12,181.35, the FBM 100 Index notched up 61.80 points to 11,907.70, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index advanced 125.56 points to 12,246.11.
The FBM 70 Index racked up 288.59 points to 17,253.60 while the FBM ACE Index grew 22.10 points to 5,291.13.
By sector, the industrial products and services index edged up 1.34 points to 174.86, the plantation index rose 73.97 points to 7,904.45, and the energy index inched up 2.93 points to 794.96, while the financial services index slid 75.48 points to 18,452.85.
The Main Market volume rose to 2.18 billion units valued at RM3.13 billion, versus 1.74 billion units worth RM2.34 billion yesterday.
Warrants turnover expanded to 1.99 billion units worth RM280.05 million, compared to 1.51 billion units valued at RM206.67 million yesterday.
The ACE Market volume climbed to 579.29 million shares, valued at RM207.97 million, compared to 411.47 million shares worth RM167.37 million previously.
On the Main Market, consumer products and services counters accounted for 394.05 million shares traded, followed by industrial products and services (365.50 million), construction (109.66 million), technology (317.78 million), financial services (69.89 million), property (236.22 million), plantation (37.04 million), REITs (42.27 million), closed/fund (146,200), energy (163.12 million), healthcare (313.07 million), telecommunications and media (36.66 million), transportation and logistics (36.75 million), utilities (53.38 million) and business trusts (23,600).