Malaysia Morning Wrap | Malaysia Won't Rush Decisions After U.S. Tariff Reversal, Will Safeguard Trade Interests

Key Takeaways:

• Wall Street Rises as AMD Jumps 8.8% on Massive AI Chip Order from Meta

• Bursa Malaysia Closes Off Highs but Lower Overall, Breaking Four-Session Advance

• Malaysia's International Reserves Climb to $127.9 Bil as of Mid-February

• Stocks to watch: PETRONAS Gas, IOI Corporation, etc.

🇺🇸 Wall Street Summary

$Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC.US)$ 22,863.68(+1.04%)

$S&P 500 Index (.SPX.US)$ 6,890.07(+0.77%)

$Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI.US)$ 49,174.5(+0.76%)

The three major U.S. indexes rose Tuesday, $Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.US)$ surged 8.8% after $Meta Platforms (META.US)$ announced plans to purchase up to 6 gigawatts of AMD graphics processing units for its AI data centers.

Tech stocks like $Salesforce (CRM.US)$ and $IBM Corp (IBM.US)$ rebounded, with investors viewing Monday's AI-driven selloff as overdone. $Intel (INTC.US)$ shares jumped 5.7%, boosted by its $350 million investment in AI chip startup SambaNova Systems, which is developing the SN50 advanced chip.

Elsewhere in the markets, gold and silver were mixed as investors sought safe-haven assets amid uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff plans and ongoing U.S.-Iran military tensions.

$Silver Futures (SEP6) (SImain.US)$ rose 1% to $87.435 an ounce at last check on the New York Comex, while $Gold Futures (AUG6) (GCmain.US)$ eased 0.7% to $5,186.70 per ounce. However, gold contracts had been up 0.8% earlier in the day.

🇲🇾 Bursa Market Insight

$FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index (.KLSE.MY)$ 1,754.01(-0.23%)

Top Gainer: $PETDAG (5681.MY)$ RM21.4(+2%)

Top Loser: $PCHEM (5183.MY)$ RM3.1(-5.78%)

USD/MYR: $USD/MYR (USDMYR.FX)$ RM3.8938(+0.07%)

The FBM KLCI fell 0.23%, to close at 1,754.01. The Bursa Malaysia trimmed earlier losses but still closed lower on Tuesday, ending a four-day winning streak as mild profit-taking set in after recent gains.

Bank Negara Malaysia's (BNM) international reserves increased by $1 billion to $127.9 billion as at Feb 13, 2026, according to the central bank's latest fortnightly update released on Tuesday.

The new level exceeds the previous peak of $126.9 billion recorded on Jan 30, 2026, representing the country's strongest reserves position since 2014. BNM said the reserves are sufficient to cover 4.7 months of imports of goods and services and amount to 0.9 times Malaysia's short-term external debt.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said on Tuesday that Malaysia will not hastily make any decisions following the overturning of Washington's emergency tariffs, emphasising the government's commitment to protecting the country's trade interests.

He said the government is closely tracking developments in the US, including any subsequent actions by President Donald Trump and whether there are additional provisions that might circumvent the court's interpretation.

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🔔 Stocks to Watch

$PETGAS (6033.MY)$ posted a 12.7% year-on-year decline in fourth-quarter net profit, weighed down by weaker earnings in its gas transportation segment and the absence of a significant one-off tax gain. For the Q4 FY2025, net profit fell to RM363.91 million from RM417.03 million a year earlier, while revenue slipped 2.8% to RM1.57 billion from RM1.62 billion, mainly reflecting lower product prices following tariff revisions.

$PETDAG (5681.MY)$ recorded a 3.9% increase in net profit for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2025 (Q4FY2025), as stronger earnings from its commercial segment outweighed softer retail performance. Quarterly net profit rose to RM258.88 million, or 26.1 sen per share, from RM249.06 million, or 25.1 sen per share, a year earlier. Revenue jumped 17.6% to a record RM10.58 billion from RM8.99 billion in the same quarter.

$IOICORP (1961.MY)$, one of the world's largest palm oil producers, signalled a challenging outlook for its downstream operations even as quarterly earnings surged. Net profit for the three months ended Dec 31, 2025 (Q2FY2026), jumped nearly fivefold to RM528.50 million from RM111.10 million a year earlier, largely driven by foreign currency translation gains on foreign currency-denominated borrowings and deposits. Quarterly revenue inched up 1% to RM3.01 billion, as lower average selling prices offset the impact of higher production volumes.

$MRDIY (5296.MY)$ is paying out more than its entire net profit of RM632.69 million for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2025 (FY2025) as dividends to shareholders. The RM758 million payout amounts to 119.8% of its FY2025 earnings, which were 11.2% higher than the RM568.94 million reported a year earlier. Revenue grew 6.5% to RM4.95 billion from RM4.65 billion, supported by an 8.4% increase in the number of outlets during the year to 1,556.

$ORKIM (5348.MY)$ has clinched a time charter contract from PETCO Trading Labuan Company Ltd, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Petroliam Nasional Bhd (PETRONAS), to provide marine transportation services.

$GASMSIA (5209.MY)$ posted a 22.5% year-on-year drop in fourth-quarter net profit, weighed down by a lower average natural gas contribution margin and higher operating costs. Net profit for the quarter ended Dec 31, 2025 (Q4FY2025) slipped to RM87.36 million from RM112.71 million in Q4FY2024. Revenue declined 11.7% to RM1.81 billion from RM2.06 billion, reflecting lower average natural gas selling prices and reduced sales volume.

$UNISEM (5005.MY)$ recorded a sixfold jump in fourth-quarter net profit, driven by a one-off RM23.77 million gain from the dissolution of foreign subsidiaries and higher sales volume. Net profit for the three months ended Dec 31, 2025 (Q4FY2025) surged to RM52.13 million from RM8.7 million a year earlier, while revenue grew 16.7% to RM480.55 million from RM411.78 million.

$KOPI (0338.MY)$ on Tuesday reported a 30.2% rise in first-quarter net profit to RM17.05 million, from RM13.09 million a year earlier, as revenue climbed to a fresh record high. Revenue for the quarter ended Dec 31, 2025 (Q1FY2026) increased 42.3% to RM139.2 million from RM97.83 million.

$SLVEST (0215.MY)$ is on track to deliver its best full-year results since listing, supported by utility-scale solar farm contracts that lifted net profit in the third quarter ended Dec 31, 2025 (Q3FY2026). Quarterly net profit climbed 46.27% to RM21.03 million from RM14.37 million, while revenue increased 33.84% to RM181.22 million from RM135.4 million.

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Source: Dow Jones Newswires, Bursa Malaysia, The Malaysian Reserve, The Star, The Edge.

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