KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 — Bursa Malaysia ended the week on a firmer note today, bucking the mostly lower regional market performance, on persistent buying in utilities and selected technology stocks, said an analyst.

At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 9.29 points or 0.59 per cent to 1,589.59 from yesterday’s close of 1,580.30.

The benchmark index opened 1.29 points higher at 1,581.59 and moved between 1,581.59 and 1,590.56 throughout the day.

In the broader market, gainers outpaced decliners 621 to 414, with 460 counters unchanged, 803 untraded, and 20 others suspended.

Turnover improved to 3.87 billion units worth RM3.15 billion from 3.81 billion units worth RM3.06 billion yesterday.

UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors’ designated portfolio manager and head of wealth research and advisory, Mohd Sedek Jantan said the FBM KLCI saw an uptick, propelled by the ongoing bearish trend of the dollar.

This momentum was fuelled by the post-Federal Open Market Committee’s hawkish adjustment of the Federal Reserve’s rate projections, exerting downward pressure on the dollar, he noted.

"Moreover, the technology sector spearheaded today’s market gains, buoyed by Apple’s surpassing profit performance in the first quarter of 2024 and the unveiling of a US$110 billion (RM521 billion) share buyback programme, alongside Microsoft’s substantial investments in Malaysia,” he told Bernama.

Regionally, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 1.48 per cent to 18,475.92, China’s SSE Composite Index dipped 0.26 per cent to 3,104.82, South Korea’s Kospi eased 0.26 per cent to 2,676.63, and Singapore’s Straits Times Index shed 0.12 per cent to 3,292.93.

Back home, heavyweights Maybank and Public Bank bagged two sen each to RM9.80 and RM4.12, respectively, CIMB improved one sen to RM6.65, Tenaga Nasional rose 30 sen to RM12.32, while IHH Healthcare lost four sen to RM6.29.

As for the actives, Ingenieur Gudang eased 1.5 sen to 11.5 sen, MyEG edged up 1.5 sen to 92 sen, while Fitters, TWL and Binapuri were all flat at five sen, three sen and 7.5 sen, respectively.

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index soared 74.02 points to 11,970.11, the FBMT 100 Index jumped 72.29 points to 11,597.12, the FBM 70 Index surged 122.83 points to 16,737.02, the FBM Emas Shariah Index increased 79.71 points to 12,193.30, and the FBM ACE Index rose 26.87 points to 5,134.55.

Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index climbed 47.15 points to 17,290.41, the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 0.81 of-a-point to 190.84, the Energy Index perked up 2.91 points to 966.85, while the Plantation Index dropped 35.32 points to 7,419.87.

The Main Market volume expanded to 2.38 billion units valued at RM2.79 billion versus 2.14 billion units valued at RM2.70 billion yesterday.

Warrants turnover slipped to 929.71 million units worth RM148.76 million against 1.19 billion units worth RM157.99 million yesterday.

The ACE Market volume advanced to 560.13 million shares worth RM210.14 million from 478.56 million shares worth RM196.65 million previously.

Consumer products and services counters accounted for 339.0 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (649.48 million), construction (217.87 million), technology (262.84 million), SPAC (nil), financial services (116.33 million), property (328.14 million), plantation (32.88 million), REITs (19.28 million), closed/fund (114,300), energy (121.65 million), healthcare (78.70 million), telecommunications and media (44.44 million), transportation and logistics (49.78 million), utilities (1.20 million), and business trusts (684,700). — Bernama