KLCI rises 4.62 points to 1,726.81 at midday on Q2 GDP growth estimate
The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI gained 4.62 points to 1,726.81 at 12:30 pm, up from Thursday’s close of 1,722.19.
Source: The Star · July 21, 2026 at 8:29 AM · AI-assisted report
Single-sourceKUALA LUMPUR, 21 JULY 2026 —
The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI gained 4.62 points to 1,726.81 at 12:30 pm, up from Thursday’s close of 1,722.19.
Market Impact
Bursa Malaysia’s benchmark gauge opened 2.33 points weaker at 1,719.86 before paring losses during the session. It traded between 1,719.56 and 1,728.20.
Turnover reached 1.92 billion shares worth RM1.33 billion. Advancers outnumbered decliners 347 to 618, with 468 counters unchanged, 1,302 untraded and 12 suspended.
Advance estimates showed second-quarter 2026 gross domestic product grew 5.8%, accelerating from 5.4% in the first quarter, according to the government’s release.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of Equity Research Thong Pak Leng said the index had retaken its uptrend above the 1,720 level after a brief pullback at the open. “We see foreign funds returning to domestic equities, though overall turnover remains muted,” he said. “We expect the KLCI to trade within 1,715-1,730 today.”
Heavyweights contributed to the advance: Maybank gained 18 sen to RM11.22, Public Bank added three sen to RM5.23 and CIMB rose nine sen to RM7.79. Tenaga Nasional was flat at RM14.30, while IHH Healthcare fell 13 sen to RM8.40.
Among most-active issues, Tanco gained two sen to 34 sen, Ekovest added one sen to 21 sen, Nationgate slipped seven sen to RM1.10, Dagang Nexchange eased two sen to 44.5 sen and VS Industry was half a sen lower at 23 sen.
Top gainers included Hong Leong Bank, up 32 sen at RM22.34, Padini 16 sen at RM1.58, Hong Leong Financial 14 sen at RM18.82 and Petronas Chemicals 13 sen at RM4.71.
On the downside, Malaysian Pacific Industries fell RM1 to RM44.28, Nestlé lost 84 sen to RM92.16, United Plantations shed 48 sen to RM34.52 and UMS Integration dropped 32 sen to RM7.71.
Broad indices showed mixed signals: the FBM Emas Index rose 3.95 points to 12,703.17, the FBMT 100 Index advanced 8.71 points to 12,538.32. The FBM Emas Shariah Index fell 44.86 points to 12,476.41, the FBM 70 Index declined 94.10 points to 17,809.40 and the FBM ACE Index dropped 14.63 points to 4,900.48.
Sector moves reflected the GDP surprise: the Financial Services Index jumped 179.79 points to 20,490.61, while the Industrial Products and Services Index dipped 0.82 point to 187.11. The Plantation Index retreated 48.48 points to 9,425.29 and the Energy Index eased 2.06 points to 767.83.
Related: Bursa Malaysia