Bursa Malaysia opened higher on Friday as buying interest ahead of the Merdeka holiday offered some support, with investors also keeping an eye on corporate earnings and the latest developments involving listed companies.
The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 1.73 points to 1,743.45 at 9.02am from Thursday’s close of 1,741.72, after opening 1.98 points higher at 1,743.70.
Apex Securities Bhd said the local market could continue to benefit from pre-Merdeka buying interest, although investors are likely to remain selective as the corporate results season continues and external uncertainties persist.
“We expect the market to remain supported by improving technology sentiment although investors are likely to remain cautious as corporate results announcements continue and external uncertainties persist,” it said in a research note today.
Market breadth was positive, with 156 gainers against 91 decliners, while 284 counters were unchanged. Another 2,322 counters were untraded and 98 were suspended. Trading volume stood at 146.72 million shares worth RM68.10 million.
Among heavyweight counters, Maybank rose 10 sen to RM10.72, Public Bank added two sen to RM5.02 and IHH Healthcare gained three sen to RM8.18. CIMB Group fell seven sen to RM8 while Tenaga Nasional declined six sen to RM14.24.
Malaysian Pacific Industries was among the top gainers, rising 36 sen to RM43.18, while Hong Leong Financial gained 18 sen to RM19.32. Padini was among the biggest decliners, falling seven sen to RM1.27.
Across the broader market, the FBM Mid 70 Index gained 34.68 points to 18,309.84 while the FBM Emas Index rose 17.55 points to 12,909.66.
The financial services index jumped 20.39 points to 20,393.68, while the plantation and energy indices added 19.88 points and 2.75 points respectively.
