Retail Investors Return as Net Buyers on Bursa Malaysia With RM223.1 Million Inflows

KUALA LUMPUR, JULY 2026 – Retail investors returned as net buyers on Bursa Malaysia last week, recording estimated net purchases of RM223.1 million as domestic individual participation helped absorb selling pressure from foreign and local institutional investors.

The figure reflects the combined market flows reported for the week, during which foreign investors sold a net RM134.3 million and local institutions recorded RM88.8 million in net outflows.

As total net buying and selling across the three major investor groups must balance, retail investors accounted for the corresponding RM223.1 million in net inflows.

The renewed retail buying marked a shift in local market participation at a time when international investors became more cautious towards Malaysian equities.

According to MBSB Investment Bank’s weekly fund-flow report, foreign investors returned as net sellers after recording net purchases for two consecutive weeks.

Foreign institutions were net buyers on only one of the five trading days, registering RM169.5 million in net inflows on Tuesday.

The largest foreign net outflow was recorded on Friday at RM148.8 million. This was followed by net selling of RM72.9 million on Wednesday, RM63.9 million on Thursday and RM18.2 million on Monday.

The figures indicate that foreign sentiment remained uneven despite selective buying in several sectors during the week.

Transportation and logistics attracted the highest foreign net inflow at RM154.4 million, followed by financial services at RM144.9 million and utilities at RM32.8 million.

In contrast, industrial products and services recorded the largest foreign net outflow at RM204.8 million.

Consumer products and services registered RM110.9 million in foreign net selling, while the technology sector experienced net outflows of RM65.3 million.

The sectoral movements suggest foreign investors continued to reposition their portfolios, favouring selected transportation, banking and utility counters while reducing exposure to industrial, consumer and technology stocks.

Local institutional investors, meanwhile, extended their net-selling trend for a fourth consecutive week, recording RM88.8 million in net outflows.

The continued selling by domestic institutions may reflect portfolio rebalancing, profit-taking or adjustments in response to changing market conditions.

Retail investors emerged as the primary source of net buying during the period, helping provide liquidity and support to the local equity market.

Their return as net buyers also indicates that individual investors remained willing to seek opportunities despite uncertainty surrounding foreign fund flows and broader global market developments.

However, overall market participation weakened during the week.

The average daily trading volume declined across all three investor categories, with retail investor activity falling by 12.1 per cent.

Average daily trading volume among local institutions decreased by 14.1 per cent, while foreign institutional trading activity declined by 7.0 per cent.