KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 21 —  Bursa Malaysia ended higher today, lifted by persistent buying momentum in heavyweights and penny stocks.       

The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) finished 7.75 points higher at 1,815.34 after opening at 1,807.45.

It moved between 1,806.25 and 1,816.94 throughout the day.  Overall, losers thumped gainers by 419 to 357, while 314 were unchanged, 466 untraded and 19 others suspended.                          

Volume rose to 1.591 billion shares valued at RM1.849 billion from 1.557 billion shares valued at RM1.732 billion yesterday.                        

Dealers said Bursa Malaysia’s bullish performance was also in tandem with its regional peers.                    

Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.99 per cent to 15,795.96, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.45 per cent to 23,033.12 and Singapore’s Straits Times increased 0.23 per cent to 3,135.84.             

The spotlight was on the car counters after the announcement of the revised National Automotive Policy by the Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, yesterday.                

DRB-HICOM added a sen to RM2.78, MBM Resources rose two sen to RM3.43 and UMW Holdings increased four sen to RM11.62.                            

In heavyweights, Maybank gained five sen to RM9.86, TNB soared 10 sen to RM11.50, Sime Darby edged up a sen to RM9.13 and CIMB added two sen to RM7.11.

Axatia, however, was flat at RM6.64.     

On the scoreboard, the Finance Index rose 63.71 points to 16,685.86,

Plantation Index increased 4.06 points to 8,484.08 and the Industrial Index was 10.69 points higher at 3,077.29.                 

The FBM Emas Index went up 49.59 points to 12,558.77, FBMT100 Index jumped 50.60 points to 12,266.84, FBM Ace rose 9.01 points to 5,991.78 and the FBM 70 increased by 50.54 points to 13,920.8.

The Main Market volume rose to 1.319 billion units worth RM1.773 billion from 1.218 billion units worth RM1.641 billion on Monday.             

Turnover on the ACE market fell to 235.04 million shares valued at RM64.769 million from 256.614 million shares valued at RM78.021 million yesterday.

Warrants rose to 27.850 million units worth RM3.083 million from 40.843 million units worth RM4.839 million previously.                

On a sectoral basis, consumer products accounted for 202.17 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products 339.35 million, construction 58.17 million, trade and services 364.546 million, technology 64.53 million, infrastructure 23.63 million, SPAC 25.687 million, finance 43.04 million, hotels 1.32 million, properties 150.334 million, plantations 37.703 million, mining 14,000, REITs 8.694 million and closed/fund 1,000.  — Bernama