Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng told Bernama that buying interest continues to be broad-based, with sentiment still skewed to the upside.
He said the benchmark index remains firmly on an upward path after breaking several key historical levels and reaching fresh multi-year highs.
“That said, some profit-taking may emerge after several sessions of strong gains.
“As long as the index holds above the 1,700-1,720-support zone, the next leg higher remains intact,” he said, adding that he expects the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) to trade within the 1,720-1,750 range this week.
Thong said the strengthening of the ringgit, which has appreciated to RM3.97 against the US dollar, further lifted overall market sentiment.
Meanwhile, IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Sedek Jantan said the equity rally is not occurring in isolation but is being led and anchored by earlier appreciation in the currency.
“This currency-led sequencing, which contrasts with speculative episodes where equities typically lead and currencies lag, suggests investors are recalibrating Malaysia’s risk premium and positioning for a more durable, fundamentals-based repricing rather than chasing short-term gains,” he said.
Sedek opined that the FBM KLCI’s outstanding performance resulted from global fund managers’ continued increase in exposure to Malaysian equities, reflecting a reassessment of Malaysia’s macroeconomic and policy fundamentals.
Additionally, the outperformance stood out against a mixed regional backdrop as investors assessed ongoing geopolitical developments and trade-related uncertainties.
At 5pm, the FBM KLCI soared 24.08 points or 1.40% to 1,744.07 from last Friday’s close of 1,719.99.
The index surpassed its previous peak of 1,740.59 on Oct 17, 2018.
The barometer index opened 1.64 points firmer at 1,721.63, its lowest level in early trade, before moving in an upward trajectory to its intraday high of 1,746.98 during the mid-afternoon session.
However, market breadth was negative with decliners outnumbering gainers 631 to 591, while 498 counters were unchanged, 1,008 untraded and 39 suspended.
Turnover improved to 3.5 billion units worth RM4.07 billion from last Friday’s 3.4 billion units worth RM3.49 billion.
Among heavyweights, Maybank added 14 sen to RM11.50, Public Bank gained nine sen to RM4.87, CIMB advanced 32 sen to RM8.62, Tenaga Nasional increased 18 sen to RM13.98, and IHH Healthcare rose six sen to RM8.66.
On the most active list, Capital A put on 4.5 sen to 59 sen, AirAsia X rose 35 sen to RM2.19, and Press Metal advanced 15 sen to RM7.56, while Velesto Energy was flat at 31 sen.
Top gainers included Nestle, which advanced 80 sen to RM116, Dutch Lady Milk Industries gained 78 sen to RM33.12, while Hong Leong Bank and BLD Plantation improved 50 sen each to RM24.50 and RM15.80, respectively.
As for the top decliners, Malaysian Pacific Industries decreased 54 sen to RM32.58, SAM Engineering and Equipment fell 20 sen to RM3.50, ENRA Group declined 19 sen to 41 sen and Hong Leong Industries dipped 16 sen to RM17.02.
On the index board, the FBM Top 100 Index gained 144.37 points to 12,600.17, the FBM Emas Index rose 138.61 points to 12,799.15, the FBM Mid 70 Index climbed 68.61 points to 17,630.83, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index increased 90.74 points to 12,400.39, while the FBM ACE Index eased 56.34 points to 4,848.71.
Sector-wise, the financial services index jumped 394.06 points to 21,197.23, the industrial products and services index edged up 0.79 of-a-point to 177.28, the plantation index surged 75.37 points to 8,445.14, and the energy index eased 4.52 points to 764.86.
The Main Market volume expanded to 2.06 billion units worth RM3.76 billion from last Friday’s 1.92 billion units worth RM3.22 billion.
Warrants turnover swelled to 999.45 million units worth RM132.75 million from 980.15 million units worth RM109.52 million previously.
The ACE Market volume declined to 439.3 million units worth RM174.57 million from 500.36 million units worth RM153.45 million last Friday.
Consumer products and services counters accounted for 471.15 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (355.04 million), construction (157.69 million), technology (237.97 million), financial services (160.01 million), property (271.48 million), plantation (25.81 million), real estate investment trusts (30.06 million), closed-end fund (663,600), energy (111.89 million), healthcare (118.05 million), telecommunications and media (30.4 million), transportation and logistics (55.19 million), utilities (35.41 million), and business trusts (167,100).