KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia ended the midday session in negative territory, weighed down by the property and plantation sectors.
At 12:30 PM, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell by 0.15 per cent, losing 2.41 points to reach 1,609.94, down from Wednesday's close of 1,612.35.
Across the broader market, there were 684 decliners compared to 242 gainers, with 410 counters remaining unchanged.
Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd noted that buying interest might extend to local stocks, particularly in the Technology sector, driven by positive sentiment from the US market.
"We also favour the Construction, Property, Building Materials, and Utilities sectors, as they should benefit from data centre and AI themes.
"Additionally, the strong Ringgit situation may benefit the Consumer and Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) sectors," it said.
In the commodity markets, Brent oil retreated for a second consecutive session as tensions in the Middle East eased, while gold prices remained steady above the US$2,440 level.
Crude palm oil (CPO) prices stayed firm, holding above the RM3,700 mark.