KUALA LUMPUR – Bursa Malaysia opened higher as Malaysia is retained on the Watch List of the FTSE World Government Bond Index (WGBI).
At 9.11 am, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) jumped 11.33 points, or 0.76 per cent, to 1,512.13 from yesterday’s close of 1,500.8.
The index opened 7.15 points higher at 1,512.13.
On the broader market, gainers led losers 313 to 109, while 265 counters were unchanged, 1,394 untraded and 21 others suspended.
Total volume stood at 470.17 million units worth RM398.45 million.
Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd said FTSE Russell’s decision to retain Malaysia bonds on the watch list will provide some alleviation for the prospects of further foreign capital flight.
“The lower liners and broader market shares are expected to experience a consolidation phase as investors may turn more defensive ahead of the Sabah state election over the weekend,” it said today.
Among the heavyweights, Maybank gained three sen to RM7.12, Top Glove strengthened 36 sen to RM8.91, TNB added four sen to RM10.86, Hartalega appreciated 92 sen to RM16.82, Public Bank and IHH Healthcare were flat at RM15.52 and RM5.25, respectively, while Sime Darby Plantation fell two sen to RM5.03, and MISC was nine sen easier at RM7.36.
Of the actives, HLT Global advanced eight sen to RM1.75, Careplus jumped 16 sen to RM3.31, MTAG rose 2.5 sen to 77.5 sen, Pegasus Heights and EA Holdings were flat at 2.5 sen each, while Kanger International trimmed one sen to 22.5 sen.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index widened 85.81 points to 10,855.31 and the FBM Emas Shariah Index bagged 130.79 points to 12,960.81.
The FBM 70 expanded 131.85 points to 14,049.87, the FBMT 100 Index went up 85.14 points to 10,684.23 and the FBM ACE was 17.02 points higher at 10,250.76.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index advanced 20.49 points to 12,355.93, the Plantation Index shed 6.84 points to 7,064.91 and the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 0.25 of-a-point to 132.45. – Bernama
