KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 — Bursa Malaysia opened higher this morning, extending yesterday’s upward momentum amid positive market sentiment coupled with strong gains on Wall Street overnight, dealers said.

Despite opening 1.47 points weaker at 1,576.38, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 2.57 points to 1,580.42 at 9.15 am, compared with 1,577.85 at Tuesday’s close.

Market breadth was positive with gainers outnumbering losers, while 296 counters were unchanged, 1,145 untraded and 24 others suspended.

Trading volume stood at 1.12 billion shares worth RM827.81 million.

In a note, Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd said with the FBM KLCI attempting to find stability, the sentiment would remain largely dictated by the movement of the glove heavyweights.

“Still, we think that further gains will be choppy owing to the quick profit-taking activities as investors have now turned cautious on the recent volatility,” it said.

Meanwhile, the improved trading sentiment alongside trading activities would continue to ensure liquidity and sustain the historically higher-than-average retail participant rate.

Of the heavyweights, Maybank added one sen to RM7.64, Top Glove increased 22 sen to RM26.30, and Hartalega earned 64 sen to RM18.20.

Public Bank lost 12 sen to RM17.54, Tenaga shed six sen to RM11.10, and Petronas Chemicals erased nine sen to RM6.06.

Among actives, EA Holdings and Sapura Energy inched up half-a-sen each to four sen and 13 sen respectively, Notion bagged seven sen to RM1.60, while Lambo, XOX and Borneo Oil were flat at five sen, 19 sen and 6.5 sen respectively.

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index increased 37.86 points to 11,333.71, the FBM Emas Shariah Index was 78.9 points higher at 13,313.98 and the FBMT 100 Index improved 35.41 points to 11,153.43.

The FBM 70 chalked up 114.22 points to 14,614.66 and the FBM ACE surged 171.43 points to 10,609.67.

Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index fell 24.66 points to 13,152.46, the Plantation Index earned 27.64 points to 7,034.4 and the Industrial Products and Services Index added 0.13 point to 140.88. — Bernama