Bursa Malaysia Slightly Higher At Midday
KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia ended the morning trading session slightly higher, lifted by buying interest in banking stocks led by Public Bank and CIMB.
At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 2.49 points or 0.14 per cent to 1,688.73 from Thursday’s close of 1,686.24.
The benchmark index opened 5.23 points higher at 1,691.47 and moved between 1,685.66 and 1,692.97 points throughout the morning session.
Market breadth was positive with gainers outpacing losers 512 to 377, while 520 counters were unchanged, 1,299 untraded, and 13 suspended.
Turnover stood at 1.43 billion units worth RM1.09 billion.
Apex Securities Sdn Bhd said markets are expected to remain cautious and headline-driven, as the fragile US–Iran ceasefire showed signs of strain amid renewed tensions in West Asia ahead of US–Iran talks in Pakistan this weekend.
“This keeps investors cautious, as any renewed disruption could tighten global energy supply and heighten market volatility. Against this backdrop, regional markets are expected to trade defensively, with investors closely monitoring Israel-Lebanon tensions, US–Iran negotiations, and developments in the Strait of Hormuz,” it said in a note today.
Among the heavyweights, Public Bank rose four sen to RM4.60, CIMB advanced seven sen to RM7.45, and RHB Bank jumped 14 sen to RM8. Meanwhile, Maybank was flat at RM11.16, and TNB shed four sen to RM14.12.
On the most active list, Tanco gained two sen to RM1.69, Mega Fortris increased six sen to RM1.23, Borneo Oil and Zetrix AI were flat at half-a-sen and 75 sen, respectively, while Bina Puri eased half-a-sen to 29.5 sen.
Among the top gainers, Fraser & Neave rose by 74 sen to RM29.82, Malaysian Pacific Industries gained 42 sen to RM29.76, Malayan Cement advanced 27 sen to RM6.81, and Sunway Construction was 24 sen higher at RM6.77.
As for top losers, Nestle lost RM1.10 to RM99, Kuala Lumpur Kepong slipped 44 sen to RM21.76, Petronas Dagangan was 32 sen lower at RM21.08, and MISC shed nine sen to RM8.29.
On the index board, the FBM Top 100 Index rose by 29.79 points to 12,240.35, the FBM Emas Index gained 33.67 points to 12,392.55, the FBM Emas Shariah Index increased 13.82 points to 12,271.96, the FBM ACE Index garnered 37.68 points to 4,412.52, and the FBM Mid 70 Index rose by 92.72 points to 17,291.07.
By sector, the Financial Services Index gained 96.50 points to 19,773.77. However, the Plantation Index fell by 32.98 points to 8,957.11, the Industrial Products and Services Index eased 0.19 of-a-point to 184.29, and the Energy Index declined 4.34 points to 809.40.
-- BERNAMA
