KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 ― Shares on Bursa Malaysia continued to trend higher at mid-morning as investors reacted positively to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s maiden speech as the country’s eighth Prime Minister last night.
The local bourse was also supported by the firmer crude oil prices, of which the benchmark Brent crude oil went up 2.5 per cent to US$53.20 (RM223.71) per barrel in the morning session.
At 11.04am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) was 0.38 of-a-point higher at 1,467.32 from yesterday’s close of 1,466.94.
At the opening bell, the key index opened 9.36 points firmer at 1,476.30.
Gainers continued to lead losers 429 to 254 on the broader market, with 322 counters unchanged, 993 untraded and 18 others suspended.
Turnover amounted to 1.31 billion shares worth RM807.30 million.
In his televised speech, Muhyiddin, 72, appealed to the rakyat (people) to give him the opportunity to use his 40 years of experience in politics and government to steer the nation towards greater glory.
He also stressed that he is the prime minister for all Malaysians.
“Whether you are Malay, Chinese, Indian, Sikh, Iban, Kadazan, Dusun, Murut, natives, or whichever ethnic group, I am the prime minister for all.
“Whether you are a farmer, fishermen, businessman, civil servant, private sector employee, I am your prime minister,” he said in his address titled “Rayuan Kepada Rakyat Malaysia” (An Appeal to Malaysians) that was carried live by the country’s major television networks.
The Prime Minister clocked in for work on Monday morning.
Today, Muhyiddin, the member of parliament for Pagoh held two separate briefings with the finance ministry (MoF) and health ministry (MoH) at 9am and 11am respectively.
Among the heavyweights, Petronas Chemicals rose 10 sen to RM5.31, Hong Leong bagged 28 sen to RM15.30, Digi improved six sen to RM4.12, Public Bank gained 12 sen to RM17.20 and RHB Bank was seven sen higher at RM5.56.
Of the actives, energy stocks Sapura Energy perked one sen to 17 sen, while Bumi Armada and KNM accumulated half-a-sen to 31.5 sen and 20.5 sen respectively.
Vortex Consolidated added eight sen to two sen while Avillion inched down half-a-sen to 15.5 sen.
Heineken Malaysia emerged as the top gainer, increasing 70 sen to RM23.70, while the top loser was Batu Kawan which fell 50 sen to RM15.40.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index rose 26.09 points to 10,380.70, the FBM Emas Shariah Index climbed 38.03 points to 11,056.73 while the FBMT 100 Index was 23.38 points better at 10,197.85.
The FBM 70 advanced 115.0 points to 12,759.55 and the FBM Ace perked 6.58 points to 5,265.02.
Sector-wise, the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 1.12 points to 132.05, the Financial Services Index increased 17.95 points to 14,166.67 and the Plantation Index strengthened 9.98 points to 6,729.46. ― Bernama
