Blue-chip buying lifts FBM KLCI as regional markets slip
Bursa Malaysia ended in positive territory on Thursday, supported by selective buying in blue chips while investors remained cautious amid a mixed regional market performance.
Source: The Star · July 21, 2026 at 8:29 AM · AI-assisted report
Single-sourceKUALA LUMPUR, 21 JULY 2026 —
The FBM KLCI gained 8.43 points, or 0.49%, to 1,722.19 on Thursday, underpinned by selective buying in blue chips.
Market Impact
Turnover reached 3.7 billion shares worth RM2.8 billion as 576 gainers slightly outpaced 550 losers. The index touched an intraday high of 1,726.75 before easing back, dealers said.
Heavyweight banking and defensive stocks drove the gains, but overall gains were capped by caution ahead of key data and global rate uncertainty.
Public Bank rose 15 sen to RM5.20, Maybank added eight sen to RM11.04, RHB Bank climbed three sen to RM8.47 and AmBank gained one sen to RM6.49. CIMB slipped one sen to RM7.70 and Hong Leong Bank shed 10 sen to RM22.02.
On the upside, Nestlé rose RM1 to RM93, United Plantations gained 30 sen to RM35, Critical Holdings advanced 24 sen to RM1.90 and Nationgate climbed 20 sen to RM1.17.
Technology and semiconductor counters lagged, with Malaysian Pacific Industries down 46 sen at RM45.28, UMS Integration off 28 sen to RM8.03, UWC down 13 sen to RM6.03, MI Technovation down 11 sen to RM4.87 and Unisem down 10 sen to RM4.56.
Foreign investors were net buyers on Wednesday, purchasing RM141 million of equities. Local institutions and retailers were net sellers, offloading RM136 million and RM5 million, respectively.
The ringgit strengthened 0.12% to 4.0735 per US dollar, trimming its year-to-date loss to 0.3%. Against the Singapore dollar, the currency slipped 0.15% to 3.1613.
Asian markets closed broadly lower. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 2.79% and South Korea’s Kospi tumbled 6.37%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng bucked the trend with a 1.33% gain, while China’s CSI300 Index and Shanghai Composite each slipped 1.85%.
Related: Bursa Malaysia