The Malaysian stock market has alternated between positive and negative finishes through the last four trading days, since the end of the two-day slide in which it had given away just 3 points or 0.2 percent. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index finished just above the 1,520-point plateau, and now traders are bracing for continued consolidation when the market opens on Monday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets suggests a mild withdrawal following uninspired gross domestic product figures from the United States and lingering debt concerns from Europe. Some of the regional bourses are ripe for profit-taking, adding to the cautious sentiment while prompting support for gold as a safe haven. The European markets finished lower on Friday and the U.S. bourses were mixed but little changed - and the Asian markets are also expected to slide.
The KLCI finished slightly lower on Friday as losses from the financial shares and industrial issues were offset by support from the plantation sector.
For the day, the index eased 2.96 points or 0.2 percent to finish at 1,520.90. Volume was 2.278 billion shares worth 1.85 billion ringgit. There were 459 gainers and 370 decliners, with 292 stocks finishing unchanged.
Among the actives, IJM Corp, Ahmad Zaki Resources and DRB-Hicom all finished higher, while Maybank, Sime Darby and Petronas Chemicals all ended lower.
Wall Street puts forth little guidance as stocks were lackluster on Friday with traders digesting weaker than expected U.S. economic growth in the final three months of last year.
Before the start of trading, the Commerce Department said GDP increased at an annual rate of 2.8 percent in the fourth quarter compared to the 1.8 percent growth seen in the third quarter - but shy of expectations for an increase of 3.1 percent. Economists were also disappointed that much of the GDP growth in the fourth quarter was due to a positive contribution from private inventory investment.
However, Reuters and the University of Michigan said their consumer sentiment index for January was upwardly revised to a reading of 75.0 from the mid-month reading of 74.0, coming in well above the final December reading of 69.9. The revised reading also marked an eleven-month high for the consumer sentiment index, which is at its best level since coming in at 77.5 last February.
Among individual stocks, auto giant Ford (F) fell by 4.2 percent after reporting weaker than expected fourth quarter earnings due to weakness overseas. Procter & Gamble (PG) also ended the day in the red after the consumer products giant reported a sharp drop in fourth quarter earnings and lowered its full-year earnings guidance.
Meanwhile, Honeywell (HON) rose by 0.8 percent after reporting fourth quarter earnings that came in just above analyst estimates on revenues that came in slightly below expectations.
The major averages eventually ended the session mixed, with the tech-heavy NASDAQ closing in positive territory. The NASDAQ rose 11.27 points or 0.4 percent to 2,816.55, while the Dow fell 74.17 points or 0.6 percent to 12,660.46 and the S&P 500 slipped 2.11 points or 0.2 percent to 1,316.32. For the week, the major averages also turned in a mixed performance. While the Dow fell by 0.5 percent, the NASDAQ advanced by 1.1 percent and the S&P 500 edged up by 0.1 percent.
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Market Analysis
June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.