FOREIGN investors ended a two-week streak of net selling to record foreign inflows of RM411.4 mil after outflows escalated to -RM156.4 mil the prior week.
They were net buyers on four out of five trading days during last week with the largest inflow recorded on Monday (March 2) (RM271.1 mil), according to MBSB Research (formerly MIDF Research).
“This was followed by Friday (March 6) (RM192.3 mil), Thursday (March 5) (RM158.6 mil) and Tuesday (March 3) (RM13.1 mil),” observed the research house in its weekly fund flow report. “The only outflows were recorded on Wednesday (March 4) (-RM223.7 mil).”
The top three sectors that recorded net foreign inflows were transportation & logistics (RM207.3 mil), healthcare (RM183.0 mil) and industrial products & services (RM180.0 mil).
Meanwhile, the top three sectors with net foreign outflows were telecommunication & media (-RM88.5 mil), plantation (-RM87.8 mil) and property (-RM62.0 mil).
On the contrary, local institutions posted a net outflow of -RM408.3 mil, extending their selling streak to a fifth straight week.
Likewise, local retailers also turned net sellers during the week by snapping their two weeks of net buying with -RM3.1 mil in net outflows.
The average daily trading volume (ADTV) saw a broad-based incline: local retailers by +18.9%, local institutions by +18.3% while foreign investors saw a decrease of -14.6%.
In comparison with another four Southeast Asian markets tracked by MBSB Research, Indonesia enjoyed a third consecutive week of net buying with US$131.2 mil in foreign inflows.
This came on the back of its manufacturing PMI having risen to 53.8 in February 2026 (January 2026: 52.6) to mark a seventh successive month of expansion and the fastest pace since March 2024.
However, Thailand broke its seven-week net buying streak with -US$423.5 mil in net foreign outflows as its macro-outlook remained relatively soft compared with regional peers amid sluggish exports, weak manufacturing activity and uneven recovery in domestic demand.
Elsewhere, Vietnam continued its net selling streak for a second week with -US$234.8 mil in net foreign outflows while the Philippines snapped its nine-week consecutive streak of net foreign inflows with -US$16.2 mil in net selling.
The top three stocks with the highest net money inflow from foreign investors last week were MISC Bhd (RM186.9 mil), Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd (RM167.4 mil) and Public Bank Bhd (RM162.4 mil). – March 9, 2026
