Last updated on August 23, 2025
KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia opened on a positive note today, with the benchmark index expected to challenge the 1,600 level, buoyed by Wall Street’s overnight rally on growing hopes of a US interest rate cut and robust corporate earnings.
At 9.15am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) was up 2.48 points, or 0.16 per cent, at 1,589.08 compared to yesterday’s close of 1,586.60. The index opened slightly firmer at 1,586.91.
Market breadth was positive, with 191 gainers outpacing 154 losers, while 301 counters were unchanged, 1,918 untraded and 17 suspended. Turnover stood at 174.93 million shares valued at RM97.13 million.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said Wall Street’s rally had propelled both the Nasdaq and S&P500 to record highs, while the US 10-year yield eased to 4.236 per cent. “Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index also broke past the 25,000 level as traders’ risk appetite grew on expectations of a US rate cut in September,” he told Bernama.
Thong added that with the FBM KLCI closing near the 1,590 level yesterday, he expects it to test 1,600 soon, which could lift overall trading volumes. “We anticipate sustained buying momentum, with the index likely to trade in the 1,580–1,600 range today,” he said.
Among heavyweights, Maybank rose six sen to RM9.92, Public Bank added one sen to RM4.45, and CIMB gained five sen to RM7.24. Tenaga Nasional slipped six sen to RM13.74, while IHH Healthcare was unchanged at RM6.91.
Active counters included Oxford Innotech, which climbed three sen to 41 sen, while Mtouche Technology, Icents and YGL edged up half-a-sen to 3.5 sen, 43 sen and 14 sen respectively. Classita eased half-a-sen to 8.5 sen.
On the broader market, the FBM Emas Index advanced 16.23 points to 11,820.41, the FBMT 100 Index improved 15.18 points to 11,604.19, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index rose 2.18 points to 11,770.73. The FBM ACE Index added 4.80 points to 4,659.41, while the FBM Mid 70 Index gained 9.19 points to 16,785.55.
By sector, the Financial Services Index jumped 67.76 points to 18,141.66, the Plantation Index added 25.76 points to 7,623.75, and the Energy Index edged up 2.40 points to 740.04. The Industrial Products and Services Index dipped 0.07 of a point to 158.44.
