Bursa Malaysia ended Tuesday’s morning session higher in tandem with its regional peers, taking its cue from Wall Street’s uptrend overnight.
At lunch break, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 3.4 points to 1.442.36 from Monday’s closing of 1,438.96.
The index, which opened 0.08 of-a-point better at 1,439.04, moved between 1,438.95 and 1,443.55 during the session.
On the broader market, gainers led decliners 399 to 329, while 444 counters were unchanged, 1,169 untraded and 10 suspended.
Turnover stood at 1.62 billion units worth RM887.66 million.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the Wall Street closed broadly higher on Monday as traders await corporate earnings reports.
Nonetheless, he said many are bracing for heightened volatility on Wall Street amid higher inflation and US Treasury yields, given the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“Locally, some bargain-hunting activities may emerge today (Tuesday), especially in the construction stocks after yesterday’s sell-down.
“We reckon sentiment to stay cautious and expect the index to hover within the 1,435-1,445 range today,” he added.
As for the regional markets, Singapore’s Straits Times Index improved 0.31% to 3,173.62, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.15% to 32,021.79, South Korea’s Kospi gained 1.11% to 2,463.25, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index firmed 0.7% to 17,763.41 and China’s SSE Composite was 0.26% better at 3,081.75.
Back home, Bursa heavyweights Public Bank Bhd added one sen to RM4.18, CIMB Group Holdings Bhd gained one sen to RM5.62, Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd bagged two sen to RM7.50 and Tenaga Nasional Bhd improved three sen to RM9.98, while Malayan Banking Bhd was flat at RM8.98.
Of the actives, ACE Market debutant Minox International Group Bhd rose 11 sen to 36 sen, Asdion Bhd added two sen to eight sen, Sarawak Consolidated Industries Bhd gained 1.5 sen to 52.5 sen, Kanger International Bhd bagged 1.5 sen to 12.5 sen and Top Glove Corp Bhd climbed three sen to 76.5 sen.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index increased 31.73 points to 10,690.79, the FBMT 100 Index rose 30.49 points to 10,355.08, the FBM Emas Shariah Index advanced 48.35 points to 10,927.02, the FBM 70 Index jumped 68.32 points to 14,258.58, and the FBM ACE Index went up 8.81 points to 5,126.0.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index climbed 7.23 points to 16,235.16, the Industrial Products and Services Index inched up 0.63 of-a-point to 175.97, the Energy Index was 0.88 points better at 883.34, and the Plantation Index perked up 27.06 points to 6,853.22.
