Kuala Lumpur: Bursa Malaysia opened higher on Friday, with pre-Merdeka buying interest potentially providing further support ahead of the National Day celebrations.
Next Monday is a public holiday as Malaysians celebrate Merdeka Day.
At 9.02 am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 1.73 points to 1,743.45 from Thursday’s close of 1,741.72.
Turnover was at 146.72 million shares worth RM68.10 million.
Apex Securities Bhd said that aside from pre-Merdeka buying interest that may support the local bourse, investors will continue to digest the latest corporate earnings and company developments, with individual stock performance likely to remain driven by results.
“We expect the market to remain supported by improving technology sentiment and pre-Merdeka positioning, although investors are likely to remain selective amid ongoing earnings releases and external uncertainties,” it said in a note.
Among the heavyweights, Maybank added 10 sen to RM10.72, Public Bank was two sen higher at RM5.02, and IHH Healthcare gained three sen to RM8.18. CIMB Group slid seven sen to RM8, and Tenaga Nasional shed six sen to RM14.24.
On the most active list, JAKS Resources, Ingenieur Gudang, TWL and MAG were flat at 12.5 sen, four sen, 2.5 sen and 16 sen, respectively, while AIMFLEX edged up half a sen to 13.5 sen.
Top gainers included Malaysian Pacific Industries, which rose 36 sen to RM43.18; Hong Leong Financial increased 18 sen to RM19.32; MBM Resources went up 16 sen to RM5.20; while UWC and Ta Ann put on 14 sen each to RM6.87 and RM6.19.
Among the top losers, Padini dropped seven sen to RM1.27, SAM Engineering & Equipment reduced five sen to RM4.37, while Inari Amertron and Gamuda slid four sen each to RM2.46 and RM4.48.
For the broader indices, the FBM Mid 70 Index climbed 34.68 points to 18,309.84, the FBM Emas Shariah Index increased 16.25 points to 12,713.17, and the FBM Emas Index improved 17.55 points to 12,909.66.
The FBM Top 100 Index gained 15.53 points to 12,716.79, and the FBM ACE Index appreciated 3.33 points to 5,355.55.
By sector, the Financial Services Index leapt 20.39 points to 20,393.68, while the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 0.78 of a point to 190.16.
The Plantation Index put on 19.88 points to 9,363.09, while the Energy Index ticked up 2.75 points to 787.81.
