KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 — Bursa Malaysia remained higher at mid-morning, backed by bargain hunting activities, mainly in the financial and small cap indices.

At 11.03am, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) increased 8.40 points to 1,529.83 from Monday’s close of 1,529.83.

The barometre index opened 3.69 points higher at 1,525.12.

Market breadth was positive with gainers edging past losers 469 to 432, while 408 counters were unchanged, 697 untraded and 25 others suspended.

Trading volume stood at 5.16 billion shares worth RM1.68 billion.

Among the actives, Pasukhas added two sen to 13.5 sen, Sapura Energy inched up one sen to 13.5 sen, MQ Technology fell two sen to 21.5 sen, while Trive Property was flat at 2.5 sen.

Of the top losers, Hartalega shed 38 sen to RM16.08, Kossan Rubber declined 22 sen to RM15.58 and Kotra Industries depreciated 16 sen to RM3.40.

Top gainers Malaysian Pacific increased RM1.00 to RM18.00, Nestle strengthened 80 sen to RM139.80 and Tradeplus was 77 sen better at RM10.30.

In a note, Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd summed up yesterday’s trading as another lacklustre performance, but it did not discount the possibility of a recovery from the steep falls last week starting from today.

"Gains will be measured with wariness still very much a feature of the current market environment.

"On the other hand, we continue to see the lower liners faring on a better note, backed by the extended rotational play,” the brokerage firm said.

Commenting on the sectors, it said while the construction sector continues to take baby steps towards recovery, technology, telecommunications and media sectors may edge higher following the introduction of the national digital infrastructure plan (Jendela).

"Meanwhile, we see gold-related players stepping into the spotlight again as gold prices rise towards the US$2,000 (RM8,299) level,” it said.

Of the heavyweights, Maybank rose 10 sen to RM7.23, Tenaga improved six sen to RM11.04, Top Glove slipped two sen to RM26.48 and Hartalega was 38 sen weaker at RM16.08.

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index rose 59.63 points to 11,134.09, the FBMT 100 Index was 58.69 points firmer at 10,928.14 and the FBM 70 appreciated 74.56 points to 14,835.88.

The FBM Emas Shariah Index strengthened 48.05 points to 13,268.97, while the FBM ACE slipped 11.66 points to 11,192.77.

Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index advanced 130.35 points to 12,642.34, the Industrial Products and Services Index gained 0.98 point to 137.61 and the Plantation Index was 25.20 points higher at 7,110.00. — Bernama