KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia ended marginally higher at midday as trading activity turned cautious ahead of 2025 Budget.
At 12.30 pm, the benchmark index rose 2.49 points, or 0.15 per cent, to 1,639.03 from Monday's close of 1,636.54.
The 30-stock key index opened 2.02 points higher at 1,638.56 and hovered between 1,636.89 and 1,640.42 throughout the morning session.
The broader market remained negative as losers led gainers 530 to 327 gainers, while 445 counters remained unchanged, 1,175 were untraded, and nine were suspended.
Turnover stood at 1.38 billion units valued at RM1.09 billion.
Malacca Securities expects traders to be selective ahead of 2025 Budget announcement this Friday, with key focus areas likely to include the construction, property, building materials, and utilities sectors.
"Meanwhile, we foresee heightened volatility in the consumer sector, as traders are speculating on subsidy cuts in the poultry segment."
"Also, the strengthening US dollar is likely to shift attention towards export-oriented sectors such as gloves and technology," it said.