KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia ended the midday session mixed with declines in the financial services and plantation sectors.
As of 12:30pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) saw a slight increase of 0.01 per cent or 0.16 points to 1,592.03, compared to yesterday's close of 1,591.87.
Despite this, the broader market remained negative, with 1,316 losers outnumbering 155 gainers, and 267 counters unchanged.
Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd said despite Wall Street's performance overnight, the local market was approaching an accumulation zone if further selling pressure occured.
"We still like stocks within the construction, property and technology sectors, which are benefiting from the data centre secular theme amid oversold conditions.
"Additionally, we like the finance sector as it provides a decent dividend yield during the current sell-off phase," it said.
The firm also highlighted that the consumer sector is preferred due to the stronger ringgit.
On the commodity market, Brent oil prices surged due to escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, while gold prices remained below US$2,400 while the price of crude palm oil continued to stay under RM3,800 per tonne.