Kuala lumpur:<Text>

The benchmark index for Bursa Malaysia exhibited a 0.33 percent increase at mid-day, driven by a firmer risk appetite as investors returned following the year-end break, with buying activity observed in selected heavyweight counters. At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose by 5.65 points to 1,675.41, improving from Friday's close of 1,669.76. The index had initially opened slightly lower at 1,669.08.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, market breadth was positive, with 518 gainers outnumbering 435 losers. Additionally, 503 counters remained unchanged, 1,199 were untraded, and 17 were suspended. Turnover reached 1.48 billion shares, valued at RM1.15 billion. The benchmark index had earlier dipped to 1,669.76 due to profit-taking in CIMB and IHH, both down 15 sen. However, renewed buying interest contributed to a rebound as IHH climbed 12 sen to RM8.72, CIMB Group gained 15 sen to RM8.25, and Press Metal rose 10 sen to RM7.15. Maybank and Publ ic Bank each added four sen to RM10.48 and RM4.53, respectively.

Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd noted that market sentiment might turn negative in the near term due to the Venezuelan situation. Nevertheless, 'Visit Malaysia 2026' is expected to benefit sectors such as consumer, tourism, and real estate investment trusts. On the most active list, Insights Analytics rose 33 sen to RM1.46, Tanco was unchanged at RM1.18, Zetrix AI fell half a sen to 80.5 sen, Pharmaniaga remained flat at 28 sen, and Capital A gained 1.5 sen to 42.5 sen.

Among the top gainers, Hong Leong Financial Group surged 44 sen to RM19.42, Kuala Lumpur Kepong gained 18 sen to RM19.98, Dutch Lady rose 18 sen to RM31.34, Malayan Cement increased by 17 sen to RM7.96, and Hong Leong Bank added 16 sen to RM22.44. Conversely, among the top decliners, Hong Leong Industries eased 38 sen to RM16.22, Petronas Dagangan dropped 28 sen to RM19.78, and LPI Capital fell 18 sen to RM14.48.

On the index board , the FBM Emas Index added 61.61 points to 12,318.06, while the FBM Top 100 Index increased by 59.70 points to 12,118.36. The FBM Emas Shariah Index gained 39.71 points to 12,106.21. The FBM Mid 70 Index rose by 168.33 points to 17,020.80, and the FBM ACE Index added 1.36 points to 4,924.63. Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index increased by 160.01 points to 19,750.00, the Energy Index gained 2.99 points to 769.76, the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 1.70 points to 173.86, and the Plantation Index rose 6.20 points to 8,277.29.