Bursa Malaysia rises at open as Budget 2027 lifts sentiment, Wall Street tech stocks rebound

BURSA MALAYSIA, 12 OCTOBER 2026 —

Bursa Malaysia opened higher on 12 October, buoyed by positive sentiment following the announcement of Budget 2027 and overnight gains on Wall Street where technology stocks rebounded, according to Malaysia‑China Insight.

The rise reflected investor optimism about the budget’s measures and the easing of oil prices that offset weaker United States consumer sentiment.

The market’s reaction mattered because it showed how domestic policy cues and external equity movements can combine to lift local equities at the start of a trading session, setting the tone for the day’s activity across the bourse.

At 9.15 am the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 5.10 points, or 0.31 per cent, to 1,613.55 from Friday’s close of 1,608.45, having opened 3.34 points higher at 1,611.03. Across the broader market, gainers outnumbered losers 251 to 200, while 383 counters remained unchanged, 1,993 counters were untraded and 12 counters were suspended.

Turnover stood at 340.29 million units with a total value of RM181.54 million, indicating the level of activity that accompanied the early‑session advance.

Hong Leong Investment Bank described Budget 2027 as rakyat‑friendly, noting that it balanced social protection, growth initiatives and fiscal consolidation, with the fiscal deficit projected to narrow to 3.3 per cent of gross domestic product from 3.6 per cent in 2026. The bank said the consumer and property sectors were key beneficiaries, while the oil and gas and labour‑intensive sectors faced cost pressures from the minimum‑wage increase taking effect in June 2027.

It added, “We view the Budget as ‘for Main Street rather than Malaysia’s Wall Street’ and expect a muted market reaction.” In a note the bank warned that “Geopolitical tensions, elevated bond yields and energy prices, alongside election uncertainty, will sustain risk premiums, keeping the market range‑bound.”

Among the heavyweight stocks, Maybank rose nine sen to RM9.90, Public Bank added five sen to RM4.62, while CIMB and Tenaga Nasional each gained six sen to reach RM7.32 and RM12.94 respectively. IHH Healthcare, however, fell three sen to RM7.87.

In active trade, Zetrix AI was unchanged at 8.5 sen, VS Industry gained 1.5 sen to 36 sen and Nationgate rose five sen to RM2.16. Genting fell 26 sen to RM1.62, while Dagang NeXchange slipped half a sen to 51.5 sen. Among the top gainers, Vitrox added 16 sen to RM11.16, Azam Jaya rose 15 sen to RM1.10, while Hong Leong Bank and Hong Leong Financial each gained 12 sen to RM21.60 and RM17.42 respectively.

Malayan Cement advanced 10 sen to RM5.65. Among the top losers, Kuala Lumpur Kepong fell 28 sen to RM20.34, AME REIT slipped 10 sen to RM1.52, while Genting Malaysia and Mulpha International each eased nine sen to RM1.40 and RM2.65 respectively.

On the index board, the FBM Mid 70 Index fell 4.10 points to 17,679.01, while the FBM Emas Index gained 27.51 points to 12,126.34. This completed the snapshot of Bursa Malaysia’s opening session as reported by the sources.

Related: Hong Leong Investment Bank · Bursa Malaysia