KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 14): Foreign investors sold Malaysian equities for the third week in a row valued at RM196.5 million, according to Bloomberg data.

They sold equities valued at RM147.9 million last Monday and RM216.6 million last Friday, surpassing the inflows recorded last Tuesday to Thursday. According to the data, inflows were RM44.4 million on Tuesday, RM70.2 million on Wednesday, and RM53.9 million on Thursday.

According to MIDF's note on Monday, sectors with the highest net foreign inflows included consumer products and services at RM98.0 million, property at RM31.8 million, and plantation at RM23.7 million.

In contrast, financial services faced the largest net outflows at RM184.5 million, followed by transportation and logistics at RM48.0 million, and healthcare at RM44.0 million.

Local institutional investors continued their support, marking their fifth consecutive week of net buying, with a total of RM93.4 million. 

Similarly, local retailers were net buyers for the third week, amassing RM102.5 million in purchases. Despite this activity, the average daily trading volume declined across all investor categories. 

Retail investors experienced a slight drop of 0.6%, while local institutions saw a more significant decrease of 5.4%, and foreign investors' trading volume fell by 6.4%.

The ongoing foreign outflows suggest cautious sentiment towards Malaysian equities, although local investors are providing some stability, according to MIDF.

The consumer products and services sector appears particularly attractive to foreign investors, contrasting with the outflows from financial services, the house added.

This trend reflects shifting investor preferences and economic conditions impacting different sectors, said MIDF.