KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 ― Shares on Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session in the positive territory, as market players reacted positively to the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s maiden speech last night.
The local bourse also moved in line with the uptrend of regional peers, taking the cue from the overnight selloff in the Wall Street.
At 12.30pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) added 1.87 points to 1,468.81 from yesterday’s close of 1,466.94.
After opening 9.36 points firmer at 1,477.28 this morning, the local index moved between 1,466.90 and 1,481.36 throughout the morning session.
On the broader market, advancers trumped decliners 413 to 327, with 353 counters unchanged, 905 untraded and 18 others suspended.
Turnover amounted to 1.75 billion shares worth RM1.16 billion.
In his address titled 'Rayuan Kepada Rakyat Malaysia' (An Appeal to Malaysians) telecast live by the country’s major television networks last night, the eighth Prime Minister promised to appoint cabinet members of calibre who have integrity and a clean track record.
The prime minister also said he knows that Malaysians want a country that is stable, peaceful and prosperous that offers a better life for all.
For this purpose, Muhyiddin said the government he leads will give emphasis to the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 to propel the country's economic growth and narrow the economic gap in society.
Regionally, Singapore's Straits Times lndex gained 1.03 per cent to 3,038.55, South Korea's KOSPI Composite Index climbed 1.40 per cent to 2,030.63, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was 0.78 per cent better at 26,495.93.
Among the heavyweights, Petronas Chemicals and RHB Bank rose nine sen each to RM5.30 and RM5.58 respectively, Hong Leong bagged 32 sen to RM15.34, Sime Darby advanced six sen to RM2.02 and Digi improved five sen to RM4.11.
Of the actives, energy-linked stocks Sapura Energy perked one sen to 17 sen, Bumi Armada edged up half-a-sen to 31.5 sen while KNM was unchanged at 20 sen.
Vortex Consolidated strengthened 2.5 sen to 8.5 sen while Avillion inched down half-a-sen to 15.5 sen.
Top gainer Heineken Malaysia soared RM1.14 to RM24.14, while top loser Batu Kawan erased 50 sen to RM15.40.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index accumulated 25.10 points to 10,379.72, the FBM Emas Shariah Index climbed 38.58 points to 11,057.28 while the FBMT 100 Index was 23.48 points better at 10,197.95.
The FBM 70 advanced 72.72 points to 12,717.27 but the FBM Ace declined 2.77 points to 5,255.67.
Sector-wise, the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 1.0 points to 131.93, the Financial Services Index increased 13.15 points to 14,161.87 and the Plantation Index strengthened 31.34 points to 6,750.82. ― Bernama
