Bursa Malaysia opened higher, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street where the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged to a record closing high amid optimism over easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
The benchmark FBM KLCI rose 5.24 points, or 0.31%, to 1,688.50 as at 9.01am.
Broader market sentiment was also positive, with the FBM Emas Index gaining 27.16 points to 12,588.68, the FBM Top 100 Index adding 29.76 points to 12,427.69 and the FBM Small Cap Index rising 28.10 points to 15,486.20. The FBM 70 Index edged up 6.53 points to 18,372.48.
Sectoral indices were mostly higher, led by the Construction Index, which advanced 0.29% to 287.42. The Energy Index gained 0.10% to 793.15, while the Consumer Products and Services Index rose 0.07% to 487.76.
The positive start followed a mixed session in the US, where the Dow jumped 1.73% to 51,561.93 while the S&P 500 gained 0.41%. The Nasdaq slipped 0.09% as semiconductor stocks came under pressure after Broadcom’s weaker-than-expected results triggered a sell-off across the sector.
On Bursa Malaysia, MAG Holdings was the most actively traded counter with 270 million shares changing hands, followed by GIIB Holdings and Perdana Petroleum.
Among gainers, Nestlé Malaysia rose 26 sen to RM95.38, United Plantations added 20 sen to RM31.50 and Press Metal Aluminium gained nine sen to RM9.09. IOI Properties Group climbed eight sen to RM4.38.
On the downside, KGB fell 14 sen to RM7.76, MPI shed 14 sen to RM47.30, while KLCCP Stapled Group and UMS Integration each lost eight sen to RM8.92 and RM8.15 respectively.
