KUALA LUMPUR – Bursa Malaysia today extended Friday’s uptrend with gains almost across the board as bullish sentiment continues to spur buying interest.
At 9.05am, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI rose 5.27 points, or 0.35%, to 1,523.30 from 1,518.03 at the close on Friday.
The market bellwether opened 1.96 points higher at 1,519.99.
Market breadth was also positive, with gainers outpacing losers 294 to 133, while 270 counters were unchanged, 1,511 untraded and seven suspended.
Turnover stood at 350.29 million shares worth RM127.17 million.
The ringgit, meanwhile, rose against the United States dollar in early trade as improved market sentiment on the return of certainty to Malaysian politics lifts investors’ risk appetite.
At 9am, the local note stood at 4.2300/2340 versus the greenback from 4.2380/2400 at Friday’s close.
Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd economist Adam Mohamed Rahim said the ringgit is expected to trade between RM4.23 and RM4.24 against the dollar this week, as the market is likely to be calmer. – Bernama, August 23, 2021
