KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 — Bursa Malaysia opened higher today, taking its cue from gains on Wall Street on Friday.
At 9.09 am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) edged up 0.21 of a point to 1,735.96 from Friday's close of 1,735.75.
The benchmark index opened 0.10 of a point higher at 1,735.85.
On the broader market, gainers outpaced losers 257 to 111, while 355 counters were unchanged, 2,050 untraded and 21 suspended.
Turnover stood at 227.41 million shares valued at RM105.87 million.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said Wall Street ended higher following an unexpected decline in US employment in July.
He said the weaker-than-expected employment data strengthened market expectations that the US Federal Reserve would keep interest rates unchanged for the time being.
"Back home, while external uncertainties remain due to geopolitical developments and firm oil prices, bargain hunting should help limit downside pressure.
"We expect the benchmark index to trend within the 1,730–1,740 range today while maintaining a positive bias," he told Bernama.
Among the heavyweights, Maybank and Tenaga Nasional gained four sen each to RM10.72 and RM14.40, respectively, while IHH Healthcare improved seven sen to RM8.37. CIMB Group was unchanged at RM7.94, while Public Bank fell three sen to RM5.16.
Among active stocks, Dagang NeXchange added 2.5 sen to 49.5 sen, HHRG edged up 1.5 sen to 13.5 sen, Nationgate Holdings increased nine sen to RM1.52, Perak Transit put on 1.5 sen to 23 sen and VS Industry was half a sen higher at 24.5 sen.
Allianz Malaysia led the gainers, rising 96 sen to RM22.48, UWC firmed 15 sen to RM6.70, Kobay Technology perked up 12 sen to RM2.58, Pentamaster Corporation gained eight sen to RM5.55, Greatech Technology added seven sen to RM2.63 and CPE Technology climbed six sen to RM1.19.
Among the top losers, Kuala Lumpur Kepong declined RM1.16 to RM21.74, Kim Hin Industry shed 7.5 sen to 85 sen, Kelington and Telekom Malaysia lost five sen each to RM8.73 and RM7.90, respectively, while YTL Power International fell four sen to RM4.65.
Among the broader indices, the FBM Emas Index gained 11.92 points to 12,846.17, the FBM Top 100 Index rose 9.10 points to 12,669.30 and the FBM ACE Index added 14.60 points to 5,094.55.
The FBM Mid 70 Index surged 45.54 points to 18,272.06, while the FBM Emas Shariah Index advanced 22.15 points to 12,685.39.
By sector, the Financial Services Index rose 1.20 points to 20,417.73, the Energy Index gained 1.58 points to 759.97 and the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 0.47 of a point to 188.47, while the Plantation Index fell 75.20 points to 9,465.88.
