Kuala lumpur: Bursa Malaysia extended its gains at midday, tracking advances across regional markets as sustained buying interest in heavyweight counters continued to provide support. At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) increased by 14.31 points, or 0.86 percent, to 1,676.14, from Thursday's close of 1,661.83. The benchmark index opened 3.90 points higher at 1,665.73 and traded between 1,662.91 and 1,677.65 during the session.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, market breadth was positive, with gainers outnumbering losers by 499 to 368, while 475 counters were unchanged, 1,308 untraded, and 12 suspended. Turnover stood at 1.67 billion shares worth RM899.83 million. Regionally, markets also showed positive movements with Shanghai's SSE Composite Index rising 0.69 percent to 4,056.78, Japan's Nikkei 225 gaining 1.28 percent to 69,614.16, South Korea's KOSPI Composite Index advancing 4.56 percent to 7,996.82, and Singapore's Straits Times Index rising 0.36 percent to 5,235.90.
Apex Securities Bhd noted that the softer United States payrolls print influenced the near-term policy calculus, reducing urgency from the US interest rate-hike trade and allowing emerging-market currencies some relief. The ringgit was up 0.33 percent against the dollar even as foreign equity money continued to exit. It was highlighted that banks should be watched closely as the diminishing US hike risk and a firmer ringgit create a more favorable operating scenario, with the sector's performance being crucial for any index recovery.
Among heavyweight stocks, Maybank gained 12 sen to RM10.86, CIMB added 10 sen to RM7.55, Tenaga Nasional increased four sen to RM14.30, and Public Bank was one sen higher at RM4.85, while IHH Healthcare remained unchanged at RM8.17. Active stocks saw Velesto rise by 2.5 sen to 29 sen, Eckem Holdings inch up by half a sen to 12.5 sen, Zetrix AI increase by 1.5 sen to 79.5 sen, Silver Ridge gain four sen to 21 sen, while Tanco stayed flat at 17.5 sen.
On the gainers list, Binastra climbed eight sen to RM2.14, FandN jumped 68 sen to RM28.78, KL Kepong added 52 sen to RM21.48, Dutch Lady soared 24 sen to RM32.30, and PPB bagged 16 sen to RM9.49. Conversely, decliners included Nestle, which shed 92 sen to RM91.08, Malaysian Pacific Industries losing 32 sen to RM47.74, United Plantations declining 22 sen to RM33.26, Far East dropping nine sen to RM3.81, and Gas Malaysia trimming seven sen to RM5.13.
On the broader market, the FBM Emas Index advanced 88.01 points to 12,438.68, the FBM Top 100 Index rose 87.02 points to 12,266.65, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index firmed 79.25 points to 12,284.30. The FBM Mid 70 Index climbed 51.26 points to 17,835.95, while the FBM ACE Index advanced 12.65 points to 4,866.10. Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index surged 150.10 points to 19,776.34, the Industrial Products and Services Index went up 2.60 points to 182.05, and the Energy Index gained 7.70 points to 757.36, while the Plantation Index grew 51.10 points to 8,939.51.