logo
Bursa Stalls At Midday As China Jitters Cloud Sentiment

Bursa Stalls At Midday As China Jitters Cloud Sentiment

BusinessToday14-07-2025
Bursa remained broadly flat at midday on Monday, with the FBM KLCI inching down 0.44 points to 1,535.63 amid cautious sentiment as investors digested weaker-than-expected economic data out of China and awaited further corporate earnings guidance this week.
The benchmark index moved within a narrow range of 1,534.40 to 1,538.08 in the morning session, reflecting muted market participation and mild profit-taking pressure. Broader market indices also showed little movement, with the FBM70 slipping 13.33 points to 16,748.02, while the FBMEMAS and F4GBM eased slightly by 1.94 and 0.26 points respectively.
Investor sentiment remained cautious after China's GDP figures released earlier in the day revealed slower-than-expected growth in Q2 2025, raising fresh concerns over regional demand and trade momentum. Market watchers also remained alert to global interest rate trends and potential ripple effects from prolonged monetary tightening in the US.
Among actives, NexG led with a gain of 1.5 sen to 46.5 sen on strong volume of over 613 million shares, while Tanco and Wentel each added 0.5 sen and 1.5 sen respectively. ZETRIX, however, slipped 1 sen to 99 sen despite a high trading volume of over 322 million shares.
Investors are likely to remain on the sidelines in the second half of the session, with attention turning to local corporate earnings and economic releases later this week, as well as regional developments surrounding China's stimulus outlook and its effect on trade-linked sectors.
Trading resumed at 2.30pm. Related
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Muted 2Q earnings likely
Muted 2Q earnings likely

The Star

time30 minutes ago

  • The Star

Muted 2Q earnings likely

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's upcoming second-quarter of financial year 2025 (2Q25) earnings season is expected to be relatively muted, with overall corporate performance continuing to reflect challenges from external uncertainties, particularly the ongoing US-Malaysia tariff negotiations. While earnings growth may remain soft, the reporting cycle begins against a backdrop of stabilising macroeconomic indicators and fewer forecast revisions compared to the previous quarter. As such, Maybank Investment Bank Research (Maybank IB) believes the worst of the earnings downgrades may now be behind. 'The 2Q25 results season may yet be another unexciting one but at least one with fewer earnings downgrades in our view,' the research house said in its latest strategy note. Maybank IB has forecast a modest 2.5% earnings growth for the FBM KLCI in 2025, primarily weighed down by the banking sector. It anticipates a stronger rebound in 2026 with a projected growth of 7.7%. The research house's base case target for the FBM KLCI stands at 1,660, pegged to 14.4 times 2026 estimated price-to-earnings ratio (PER), representing minus 0.5 standard deviation of the 10-year mean, amid continued market volatility and uncertainty over trade policy. 'Our base case assumes further de-escalation in trade tensions and favourable outcome from tariff negotiations,' the report noted. Conversely, in a bearish scenario where earnings growth moderates to 5%, the index could dip to 1,450 based on 13 times PER. Despite a softer external environment, Malaysia's domestic economic fundamentals appear encouraging. The research house points to robust consumer activity, a sustained investment cycle, and signs of resilient private demand as cushioning the impact of weaker exports, particularly in May and June. 'The 2Q25 real gross domestic product growth advanced estimate of 4.5% year-on-year, with a rebound quarter-on-quarter from 4.4% in 1Q25, suggests a steady growth momentum and indicates external headwinds due to US tariffs are being mitigated by domestic tailwinds,' it said. Inflation has also cooled to 1.1% in June, while the labour market remains firm with the unemployment rate steady at 3%. Maybank IB attributed rising disposable incomes – fuelled by civil servant pay hikes, minimum wage increases, and a surge in Employee Provident Fund contributions – as supportive of its positive stance on the consumer, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and construction sectors. Sector-wise, consumer, construction, healthcare, REITs, and renewable energy remain Maybank IB's key 'overweights', with minimal changes to its top stock picks apart from Solarvest Holdings Bhd , which has outpaced its target price. 'We expect some positive momentum for construction, healthcare, property and, more selectively, the oil and gas and utilities sectors,' the research house added. The technology sector may face near-term weakness, but Maybank IB noted that most of the necessary earnings downgrades have already been made. 'From our channel checks, we expect most sectors are likely to deliver flattish earnings with few surprises,' it said. Notably, while plantation firms may post weaker quarterly numbers due to lower crude palm oil prices, some could benefit from disposal gains and foreign exchange tailwinds. The recent 25 basis points cut to the overnight policy rate, announced in July, is expected to have a limited impact on second-quarter bank earnings. 'We had already factored this rate cut into our bank forecasts; we stay 'neutral' on banks,' Maybank IB stated.

Bursa edges up as value seekers drive selective accumulation
Bursa edges up as value seekers drive selective accumulation

Free Malaysia Today

time7 hours ago

  • Free Malaysia Today

Bursa edges up as value seekers drive selective accumulation

KUALA LUMPUR : Bursa Malaysia opened marginally higher today, supported by value-seeking investors engaging in selective accumulation. At 9.06 am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 0.63 of a point to 1,520.03 from yesterday's close of 1,519.40. At the opening bell, the benchmark index was 0.08 of a point higher at 1,519.48. Turnover stood at 126.93 million shares, valued at RM68.23 million. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the FBM KLCI closed lower yesterday in tandem with the weak regional performance. 'However, we expect value-seeking investors to continue supporting the market through selective accumulation. Hence, we anticipate the benchmark index to consolidate within the 1,510–1,520 range today,' he added. On the global front, Thong said Wall Street closed mixed, with the S&P 500 hitting another record high at 6,309.62 (+0.06%) as investors digested a new batch of earnings, including a tariff warning from General Motors. The Dow rose 0.4%, while the Nasdaq slipped 0.39% ahead of key earnings reports from major tech giants. Among the heavyweight counters, Maybank added four sen to RM9.57, Tenaga Nasional was two sen better at RM13.80, CIMB improved one sen to RM6.56, Public Bank lost three sen to RM4.28, while CelcomDigi and Press Metal were flat at RM3.79 and RM5.21, respectively. Active counters were led by NexG, followed by Enproserve, with both accumulating 1.5 sen each to 52 sen and 28 sen, respectively. PRG advanced half-a-sen to 9.5 sen, Eco-Shop added one sen to RM1.32, while EA Holdings was down half-a-sen to half-a-sen. On the broader index board, the FBM Emas Index was 13.04 points higher at 11,432.77, the FBMT 100 Index rose 10.54 points to 11,192.48, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index was up 7.64 points to 11,454.99. The FBM 70 Index gained 41.42 points to 16,597.29, while the FBM ACE Index trimmed 7.19 points to 4,617.41. By sector, the Financial Services Index put on 36.2 points to 17,346.87, the Energy Index edged down 0.46 of a point to 739.71, and the Plantation Index improved 12.40 points to 7,408.55. The Industrial Products and Services Index rose 0.11 of a point to 154.15.

Corporate Malaysia's Q2 earnings likely to be damp squib
Corporate Malaysia's Q2 earnings likely to be damp squib

Free Malaysia Today

time8 hours ago

  • Free Malaysia Today

Corporate Malaysia's Q2 earnings likely to be damp squib

Maybank Investment Bank forecasts a modest 2.5% earnings growth for the FBM KLCI in 2025. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Investors hoping for better second-quarter (Q2) earnings from listed companies will likely be left high and dry as Corporate Malaysia is expected to continue the underperformance of Q1 2025. Maybank Investment Bank (Maybank IB) said the upcoming Q2 results season may be muted, reflecting challenges from external uncertainties, particularly the ongoing US-Malaysia tariff negotiations. 'The Q2 results season may yet be another unexciting one but at least one with fewer earnings downgrades,' it said in a strategy note. The research house forecasts a modest 2.5% earnings growth for the FBM KLCI this year, primarily weighed down by the banking sector. However, it anticipates a stronger rebound in 2026 with a projected growth of 7.7%. It has a base case target of 1,660 points for the FBM KLCI, pegged to 14.4 times 2026 estimated price-to-earnings ratio (PER). 'Our base case assumes further de-escalation in trade tensions and favourable outcome from tariff negotiations,' it added. Some bright spots Despite the softer external environment, Maybank IB said there are 'bright spots' to be found. It noted Malaysia's domestic economic fundamentals appear encouraging, pointing to robust consumer activity, a sustained investment cycle, and signs of resilient private demand as cushioning the impact of weaker exports. The economy grew at 4.5% in Q2, slightly faster than the 4.4% year-on-year growth in Q1 as resilient consumer demand offset weaker exports. This suggests a steady growth momentum and indicates external headwinds due to US tariffs are being mitigated by domestic tailwinds, it noted. Maybank IB said investors should watch out for weakness in the technology sector. Banks are 'unlikely to yield much surprise' even as it watches for lower loan growth. However, it expects some positive momentum for construction, healthcare, property, and more selectively, the oil and gas, and utilities sectors. It said most plantation companies would be weaker quarter-on-quarter due to lower crude palm oil prices, though some could book gains from disposal and forex exchange movements. Consumer and real estate investment trusts are expected to be softer, after a seasonally strong first quarter.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store