KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 ― Bursa Malaysia opened mixed in the early session today despite the rebound on other regional bourses.
At 9.10 am, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) was 2.59 points lower at 1,689.75 from yestersday's close of 1,692.34, after opening 3.64 points weaker at 1,688.70.
Market breadth was positive as gainers led losers 145 to 89, with 131 counters unchanged, 1,377 untraded and 54 others suspended.
Turnover amounted to 158.07 million shares worth RM79.25 million.
Hong Leong Investment Bank (HLIB) said news of Datuk Muhammad Ibrahim's appointment as Bank Negara Malaysia's new Governor yesterday helped pare the previous day’s losses.
Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve decision to maintain a gradual interest rates hike coupled with an increase in oil prices, despite a record high in US crude inventories, brought about positivity in most equity markets, a dealer said.
Among heavyweights, Maybank and IHH shed one sen each to RM8.94 and RM6.63 respectively, TNB slid six sen to RM14.34, while Public Bank and Petronas Chemical were flat at RM18.76 and RM6.70.
Of the active stocks, AirAsia X and its warrant improved half-a-sen each to 36 sen and 21.5 sen, as SapuraKencana eased 12 sen to RM1.65 and Sona Petroleum warrant was flat at half-a-sen.
The FBM Emas Index was 16.71 points lower at 11,739.87, the FBM Emas Shariah Index fell 26.13 points to 12,293.82, the FBMT100 Index declined 14.78 points to 11,438.46 and the FBM 70 eased 6.86 points lower at 13,050.31.
The FBM Ace improved 8.80 points to 5,681.77.
On a sectoral basis, the Finance Index slipped 18.64 points to 14,663.82, the Plantation Index shed 12.86 points to 7,690.25, while the Industrial Index was up 2.56 points to 3,234.97. ― Bernama
