KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 — Shares on Bursa Malaysia closed slightly higher today on mild buying interest despite weaker external environment, dealers said. 

The benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 0.41 of a point to settle at 1,769.03 after hovering between 1,759.66 and 1,770.34 throughout the day.

Advancers led decliners 372 to 361, with 327 counters unchanged, 528 untraded and 13 others suspended.

Turnover fell to 1.77 billion shares worth RM1.62 billion from 1.85 billion shares worth RM2.38 billion recorded yesterday.

Mercury Securities Research Head Edmund Tham said the local market and the regional peers are not impacted by the US shutdown issues as the “issues are already expected.”

“Local market players are still monitoring the outcome or the impact of the US shutdown as well as the upcoming Budget 2014 to be tabled on Oct 25 to find fresh market leads,” he told Bernama.

On the scoreboard, the Industrial Index fell 0.71 of a point to 3,040.04 and the Finance Index lost 27.13 points to 16,399, while the Plantation Index rose 32.73 points to 8,315.84.

The FBM Emas Index gained 11.78 points to 12,301.43, the FBMT100 rose 10.68 points to 12,037.88, the FBM 70 Index added 45.07 points to 14,008.54 while the FBM ACE Index slipped 12.6 points to 5,524.57.

Heavyweights, Maybank shed four cents to RM9.80, CIMB slipped two cents to RM7.50 while Axiata gained one cent to RM6.89.

Among the actives, The Media Shoppe declined half-a-cent to 18 cents, Sona Petroleum rose 1.5 cents to 29 cents and Malaysia Airlines added one cent to 34.5 cents. — Bernama