At 9.06am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) advanced 6.74 points, or 0.40%, to 1,683.60, from Tuesday’s close of 1,676.86.
The benchmark index opened 11.65 points higher at 1,688.51 earlier.
Market breadth, however, was negative, with 367 gainers outnumbering 186 decliners. A total of 198 counters were unchanged, 1,914 untraded and 11 suspended.
Turnover stood at 314.62 million shares worth RM205.75 million.
Oil prices plunged below US$100 per barrel after the ceasefire announcement; Brent crude slipped 13.10% to US$94.96 per barrel, and WTI decreased 14.50% to US$96.57 per barrel at the time of writing. ,
Apex Securities Bhd said the temporary pause – Trump called it a “double-sided ceasefire” – remains conditional on Iran agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. It highlights the fragile nature of negotiations and the risk of renewed escalation should talks break down.
“The abrupt shift from imminent military action to a conditional pause signals elevated headline risk, with markets likely to remain sensitive to further developments, diplomatic responses from Tehran and any changes to the two-week timeline,” Apex Securities said in a note today.
Against this backdrop, it added that regional markets were likely to trade cautiously, with investors remaining defensive amid fragile negotiations and elevated geopolitical risk.
Among heavyweights, Maybank jumped 16 sen to RM11.32, Public Bank surged 10 sen to RM4.70, CIMB soared 20 sen to RM7.55, TNB was flat at RM14, and Petronas Chemicals fell RM1.03 to RM4.85.
On the most active list, AirAsia X climbed 10 sen to RM1.26, Capital A increased 2.5 sen to 45.5 sen, VS Industry grew half-a-sen to 19 sen, Reneuco was flat at half-a-sen, and Top Glove trimmed 4.5 sen to 73 sen.
Among top gainers, Nestle expanded by 70 sen to RM99, Malaysian Pacific strengthened by 64 sen to RM29.64, Fraser & Neave put on 52 sen to RM29.22, and Hong Leong Bank garnered 44 sen to RM21.94.
Top losers included Batu Kawan, which slipped 78 sen to RM21, United Plantations contracted 30 sen to RM33.56, while SD Guthrie and Hibiscus Petroleum both erased 27 sen to RM5.91 and RM1.92, respectively.
On the index board, the FBM Top 100 Index accumulated 50.33 points to 12,166.21, the FBM Emas Index gained 52.53 points to 12,313.78, the FBM 70 Index improved by 77.27 points to 17,026.51, the FBM Emas Shariah Index went down 39.83 points to 12,104.18, and the FBM ACE Index increased 65.05 points to 4,349.63.
By sector, the Financial Services Index widened by 337.69 points to 19,923.81, the Industrial Products and Services Index eased 4.83 points to 178.22, the Energy Index was 23.22 points easier at 788.16, and the Plantation Index dipped 186.24 points to 8,909.42.
Meanwhile, Bursa Malaysia said intraday short selling (IDSS) for Petronas Chemicals has been suspended for the rest of the day because its last done price had dropped more than 15 per cent from the reference price.
“The short selling under IDSS will only be activated on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at 8:30 am,” it added.
Petronas Chemicals was last traded at RM4.85, down by RM1.03.