KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 — Bursa Malaysia opened higher today, with trading very much centred on key heavyweight counters.
At 9.08 am, the FBM KLCI gained 4.12 points, or 0.25 per cent, to 1,673.69 from Thursday's close of 1,669.57. The benchmark had opened 0.87 of-a-point higher at 1,670.44.
On the broader market, gainers outpaced losers 159 to 96. A total of 273 counters were unchanged, 2,121 were untraded and 24 were suspended.
Turnover stood at 93.17 million shares valued at RM50.22 million.
Apex Securities expects investors would continue to monitor global geopolitical developments, including US strategies on Venezuela and Greenland, as well as the upcoming US Supreme Court ruling on President Donald Trump's tariffs, which may contribute to market volatility.
It added that attention would remain on Friday's US non-farm payrolls for clues on the US Federal Reserve's rate-cut trajectory, while mixed US labour market updates, including continued low layoffs but cooling job openings, add to the cautious sentiment.
Apex Securities maintained a positive outlook on power-ancillary and renewable energy stocks, supported by stable demand and long-term energy transition initiatives.
“Technology stocks remain constructive, driven by global demand for AI-related solutions and ongoing digitalisation trends, although some profit-taking may occur following recent rallies. In periods of global uncertainty, we favour defensive sectors such as REITs,” it said in a note today.
Among heavyweight stocks, Maybank jumped 10 sen to RN10.74, Public Bank advanced two sen to RM4.51, CIMB added one sen to RM8.07, TNB was two sen higher at RM13.58, Press Metal was flat at RM7.08 and IHH Healthcare shed one sen to RM8.53.
On the most active list, Tanco rose one sen to RM1.24, Orkim bagged three sen to RM1.12, Zetrix AI and Berjaya Corp both gained half-a-sen each to 82 sen and 27.5 sen, while MMAG was flat at seven sen and Nextgreen eased half-a-sen to 79.5 sen.
Among top gainers, Hong Leong Bank firmed 14 sen to RM22.78, Malaysian Pacific Industries appreciated 10 sen to RM32.50, KSL went up six sen to RM3.29, while Alliance Bank and Itmax both put on five sen to RM5.06 and RM4.97.
Top decliners included Hong Leong Industries which trimmed 14 sen to RM16.52, TM decreased six sen to RM7.86, IJM and TSA shed four sen each to RM2.69 and 71 sen, while Hextar and Country View slipped three sen each to RM1.15 and RM2.92.
On the broader market, the FBM Emas Index garnered 25.58 points to 12,375.0, the FBM Top 100 Index put on 26.54 points to 12,163.29, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index gained 11.45 points to 12,178.49.
The FBM Mid 70 Index rose 22.50 points to 17,342.08, while the FBM ACE Index added 5.82 points to 4,988.03. .
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index climbed 79.92 points to 19,819.65, the Energy Index rose 2.46 points to 772.77, the Industrial Products and Services Index inched up 0.14 of-a-point to 172.04, and the Plantation Index up 3.62 points to 8,441.32. — Bernama
