KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session on a softer note, weighed down by broad-based selling as investors take profit.
At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slipped 2.71 points to 1,612.93, compared to Thursday's close of 1,615.64.
The market breadth was negative, as decliners outpaced advancers 451 to 411, with 504 counters remaining unchanged.
Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd noted that while profit-taking activities may surface on the local market, following Wall Street's overnight decline, buying interest is expected to pick up in the utilities, construction, and building materials sectors.
This optimism is supported by earlier data centre investments and AI-driven trades, which are anticipated to boost earnings in these sectors.
"Besides, we like the technology sector as Nationgate Holdings Bhd will be the first in Malaysia to manufacture AI servers."Also, we expect continued buying in plantation stocks as we enter a seasonally lower production period for palm oil, which should further support prices," it said.