KUALA LUMPUR – Bursa Malaysia opened higher today, tracking the overnight improvement on Wall Street.
At 9.10am, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 2.93 points to 1,585.57 from yesterday’s close of 1,582.64.
The index opened 3.87 points higher at 1,586.51.
On the broader market, gainers led losers 294 to 171, while 328 counters were unchanged, 1,331 untraded and nine others suspended.
Meanwhile, the ringgit rose against the US dollar to 4.13 at the opening today, fuelled by firmer crude oil prices amid the ease of the safe-haven greenback and US bond yields.
The improved local manufacturing data, of which the headline IHS Markit Malaysia Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 49.9 in March from 47.7 in February this year, also lent support to the local currency.
At 9am, the local unit climbed to 4.1385/1435 against the greenback from 4.1440/1470 at yesterday’s close. – Bernama, April 2, 2021