KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — Shares on Bursa Malaysia ended the trading session firmer for the third consecutive day today, lifted by improved market sentiment.

The benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) finished at its highest level of 1,838.69, rising 9.58 points, with gains mostly in plantations Genting Plantations, PPB, KLK, FGV and IOI Corp.

The barometer index, which traded as low as 1,828.04 at one point, was traded sideways earlier as sentiment weighed on a flat finish on Wall Street overnight.

It rebounded 15 minutes later, as gains from regional markets helped spur sentiment.

MISC, TNB and TM were the top three biggest contributors to the rise of the composite index, with total contribution of 5.41 points.

MISC’s share chalked up 30 sen to RM6.65, TNB rose 16 sen to RM12.12, and TM shares soared 21 sen to RM5.90.

TM is to sign an agreement with telecommunications companies from around the world tomorrow, to form a consortium for a new continental submarine cable system.

Regional chartist at Maybank Investment Bank Lee Cheng Hooi said the local market was generally range-bound, awaiting the latest US jobs data due out tonight US time.

More importantly was the “China factor” that has kept investors on the sidelines for now, on account of the rising credit risk in the republic, Lee told Bernama.

On the scoreboard, the Finance Index rose 59.59 points to 16,520.71, Industrial Index 30.89 points to 3,165.76, and Plantation Index 140.88 points to 8,936.59.

The FBM Emas Index jumped 78.89 points to 12,724.51, FBMT100 Index 2.41 points to 12,397.57, FBM 70 112.1 points to 13,964.1, and the FBM Ace 25.03 points to 6,559.86.

Market breadth was positive, with gainers thumping losers 561 to 244, with 317 counters unchanged, 501 untraded, and 15 others suspended.

Volume slipped to 2.28 billion shares worth RM2.38 billion from 2.4 billion shares worth RM2.15 billion transacted yesterday.

Among actives, Ingenuity and Scomi shed 0.5 sen each to 10 sen and 46 sen respectively, while Astral was flat at 22.5 sen.

Of the heavyweights, Maybank rose 5 sen to RM9.70, CIMB and Axiata added 1 sen each to RM7.09 and RM6.55 respectively, while Sime Darby eased 1 sen to RM9.23.

Volume on the Main Market rose to 1.73 billion units, worth RM2.27 billion, from 1.46 billion units, valued at RM1.95 billion, yesterday.

Turnover on the ACE market shrank to 519.24 million shares, valued at RM104.86 million, from 924.85 million shares worth RM197.93 million.

Warrants grew to 25.15 million units, worth RM2.95 million, from 17.87 million units worth RM2.35 million.

Consumer products accounted for 114.77 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products 420.56 million, construction 95.85 million, trade and services 594.01 million, technology 28.77 million, infrastructure 16.39 million, SPAC 102.11 million, finance 41.11 million, hotels 4.2 million, properties 218.25 million, plantations 82.17 million, mining 10,000, REITs 12.25 million and closed/fund 47,700. — Bernama