KL shares close on firm note

The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) extended its earlier gains to close firmer today, lifted by positive sentiment and persistent buying interests, a dealer said.

The benchmark index rose by 13.37 points to close at 1,833.85, after fluctuating between 1,821.03 and 1,834.23 throughout the day.

Gains in the index-linked counters as well as banking and plantation stocks pushed the FBM KLCI higher, with Petronas Gas, Maybank and Genting as the

biggest contributors to the rise in the index.

Petronas rose 40 sen to RM23.50, Maybank increase eight sen to RM9.64 and Genting chalked up 16 sen to RM9.76.

JF Apex Securities Head of Research, Lee Chung Cheng, said bargain hunting and positive sentiments in other regional bourses helped lift the local bourse.

"The local market, despite weak overseas news, including the weaker-than-expected Chinese manufacturing data, still managed to hold up well," he told Bernama.

Regionally, Japan's Nikkei 225 surged 251.07 points to 14,475.30, Singapore's Straits Times Index rose 36.74 points to 3,110.13, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index jumped 409.75 points to 21,846.45.

Back home, the Finance Index climbed 93.74 points to 16,532.8, Industrial Index improved 22.46 points to 3,189.37 and the Plantation Index soared 71.5 points to 8,910.66.

The FBM Emas Index firmed 64.5 points to 12,681.95, FBMT100 Index surged 60.41 points to 12,341.92 and the FBM Ace was up 61.6 points to 6,748.58.

The FBM 70, however, lost 47.65 points to 13,859.21. Gainers outpaced losers 428 to 370, while 322 counters were unchanged, 492 untraded and 20 others suspended.

Turnover rose to 1.94 billion shares worth RM2.01 billion from 1.75 billion shares worth RM3.12 billion on Friday.

Among actives, Insas rose 24 sen to RM1.18 and Masterskill perked seven sen to 61 sen. Ingenuity was flat at 11.5 sen.

Of the heavyweights, CIMB chalked up 14 sen to RM7.11, Sime Darby added three sen to RM9.23 and Axiata gained six sen to RM6.58. TNB was flat at RM11.92.

Main market volume rose to 1.39 billion units worth RM1.87 billion from 1.30 billion units worth RM3 billion on Friday.

Turnover on the ACE market increased to 525.06 million shares valued at RM141.93 million from last week's 425.04 million shares valued at RM119.18

million.

Warrants decreased to 19.58 million units worth RM2.19 million from 22.23 million units worth RM3.2 million previously.

Consumer products accounted for 192.07 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products 143.62 million, construction 74.38 million, trade

and services 447.01 million, technology 78.17 million, infrastructure 16.46 million, SPAC 68.39 million, finance 183.75 million, hotels 153,600, properties

153.59 million, plantations 192.27 million, mining 7,000, REITs 15.63 million and closed/fund 900.