Investors gave a slight boost to Bursa Malaysia's main index, closing higher at midday after it fell below 1,590 in the morning session.
The market is now focusing on heavyweights in the industrial and financial sectors.
At 3.40pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) was at 1,596.64, down 1.62 points (0.10%) from yesterday's close of 1,598.18.
The benchmark index opened 1.63 points higher at 1,599.81 and fluctuated between 1,588.99 and 1,599.94 in the morning session.
In the broader market, losers outnumbered gainers by 591 to 304, while 440 counters remained unchanged.
Volume stood at 2.22 billion shares worth RM1.14 billion.
Malacca Securities Research said the year-end holiday season was drawing to a close and they remained bullish on the travel and aviation industries supported by momentum in AirAsia X Bhd and Capital A Bhd.
They added that the escalating Ukraine-Russia conflict could create opportunities in gold-related stocks.
Meanwhile, a stronger US dollar, coupled with potential tariffs from the Trump administration, continued to favour export-oriented sectors such as technology and gloves.
The firm was also bullish on the construction, property and building materials sectors, which could experience earnings growth momentum driven by data centre investments earlier this year.
