At 9.10am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 3.25 points, or 0.19%, to 1,686.46 from Thursday’s close of 1,689.71.
The benchmark index had opened 0.64 of a point lower at 1,689.07.
Market breadth was positive, with 188 gainers outpacing 171 decliners. A total of 323 counters were unchanged, while 2,050 were untraded and 35 suspended.
Turnover stood at 254.02 million shares, valued at RM204.25 million.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said Wall Street closed higher, buoyed by optimism over a potential resolution in West Asia following a 10-day ceasefire.
“Despite this, crude oil prices edged higher, with Brent crude nearing US$100 per barrel again. In Asia, sentiment improved on easing tensions in West Asia, with potential ceasefire negotiations between the United States and Iran lifting most regional markets,” he said in a note.
He added that buying interest is likely to prevail, with the index expected to trend within the 1,685–1,700 range after the FBM KLCI closed near the 1,690 level on Thursday.
Among heavyweights, Public Bank added one sen to RM4.67, CIMB rose two sen to RM7.47, Tenaga Nasional slipped eight sen to RM14.14, IHH Healthcare eased three sen to RM8.67, while Maybank was unchanged at RM11.06.
On the most active list, Main Market debutant Empire Premium Food rose 32 sen to RM1.02, Toyo Ventures gained three sen to 26.5 sen, Zetrix AI slipped two sen to 80.5 sen, Golden Destinations eased 2.5 sen to 37.5 sen, while Velesto Energy was flat at 34 sen.
Among top gainers, Hong Leong Financial Group strengthened 30 sen to RM19.00, Fraser & Neave advanced 28 sen to RM30.96, Nestle added 12 sen to RM99.14, ITMax System gained 10 sen to RM4.99 and Infomina rose seven sen to RM1.22.
Top losers included Malaysian Pacific Industries, which fell 36 sen to RM33.62, Dutch Lady Milk Industries, down 20 sen to RM32.00, while Petronas Gas and Petronas Dagangan eased 10 sen each to RM17.94 and RM20.74, respectively. MISC declined eight sen to RM8.05.
On the index board, the FBM Top 100 Index fell 22.01 points to 12,284.81, the FBM Emas Index slipped 19.65 points to 12,451.97, the FBM Mid 70 Index dropped 24.51 points to 17,617.16, the FBM Emas Shariah Index shed 32.73 points to 12,374.11, while the FBM ACE Index rose 16.78 points to 4,563.06.
By sector, the Plantation Index lost 7.63 points to 8,892.04, while the Financial Services Index rose 35.20 points to 19,751.06. The Industrial Products and Services Index eased 0.55 of-a-point to 187.55, while the Energy Index gained 1.58 points to 818.80.