Bursa benchmark drops 0.52 per cent in early trading
Losing counters outnumbered gainers 423 to 103 as Malaysian shares followed Wall Street lower after a technology-stock sell-off.
Malaysia’s FBM KLCI fell to 1,599.34 at 9.15am on Oct 19, 2026, a decline of 8.42 points, or 0.52 per cent. The early losses followed a Wall Street retreat amid selling in technology and artificial intelligence-related shares.
The benchmark began trading at 1,604.18, down 3.58 points from the previous close of 1,607.76. Market turnover reached RM165.34 million, with 247.52 million units traded. There were 423 declining counters and 103 gainers, alongside 270 unchanged counters, 2,048 untraded and 34 suspended.
Among heavyweight shares, Public Bank dropped 12 sen to RM4.71. Maybank and Tenaga Nasional each lost four sen, finishing the early snapshot at RM9.95 and RM12.69 respectively. IHH Healthcare declined two sen to RM7.89, while CIMB held at RM7.20.
Petronas Dagangan gained 24 sen to RM19.88. Press Metal Aluminium advanced 10 sen to RM6.60, and Kuala Lumpur Kepong increased by the same amount to RM20.10. Among declining stocks, Hong Leong Financial Group lost 28 sen to RM17.56, while United Plantations retreated 24 sen to RM30.36.
Apex Securities Bhd expected cautious near-term trading, citing continued foreign selling and global uncertainty. The brokerage said higher oil prices, inflationary pressures and the US technology sell-off could weaken appetite for risk before the US Federal Reserve’s Oct 29 policy decision. It said a lasting recovery would depend on better foreign fund flows and more stable global markets.
