FBM KLCI UP 0.44 PCT AT MID-DAY ON BLUECHIPS BUYING

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia remained higher at mid-day on persistent buying in most bluechips, led by industrial products and services, finance, and utilities counters.

At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 7.20 points, or 0.44 per cent, to 1,618.15, up from Monday’s close of 1,610.95.

The benchmark index opened 0.87 of-a-point higher at 1,611.82 and fluctuated between 1,611.29 and 1,619.11 during the morning session.

Market breadth was positive, with gainers outnumbering losers 478 to 430. A total of 476 counters were unchanged, 1,231 untraded, and 81 suspended.

Turnover stood at 1.91 billion units, valued at RM1.21 billion.

Maybank Investment Bank Bhd said it expects momentum in banking giants to resume as the Finance Index approaches a break above its 200-day simple moving average (SMA).

It noted that with mid- and small-cap rallies beginning to slow, focus is returning to FBM KLCI big caps.

“Technically, we expect the benchmark index to range between 1,600 and 1,620 points today, with support at 1,550 and 1,500 points,” the bank said in a note.

Among heavyweights, Sunway advanced 22 sen to RM5.76, YTL Corporation rose 7 sen to RM2.78, Sime Darby added 10 sen to RM2.34, Gamuda gained 9 sen to RM5.61, and YTL Power International increased 6 sen to RM4.24.

In active trade, NexG Bina and Trive were flat at 9.5 sen and 1.5 sen, respectively, Zetrix AI shed 1 sen to 85 sen, while Tanco and TWL added 0.5 sen each to 88.5 sen and 3.0 sen, respectively.

Besides Sunway, top gainers included Ayer, which rose 33 sen to RM7.50, Petronas Dagangan up 28 sen to RM22.86, SAB climbing 22 sen to RM3.60, and Plenitude ticking up 18 sen to RM2.40.

Among the top losers, Nestle fell 28 sen to RM96.82, DLady dipped 22 sen to RM27.02, F&N slipped 20 sen to RM27.10, while Hume Cement Industries and Westports lost 11 sen each to RM3.54 and RM5.29, respectively.

On the broader market, the FBM Emas Index gained 44.79 points to 12,033.23, the FBM 100 Index rose 44.98 points to 11,768.94, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index increased 64.78 points to 12,074.42.

The FBM 70 Index added 32.02 points to 16,815.87, while the FBM ACE Index fell 13.09 points to 5,176.77.

By sector, the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 0.94 of-a-point to 172.69, the Energy Index lost 2.14 points to 776.12, the Plantation Index gained 37.65 points to 7,809.22, and the Financial Services Index rose 10.95 points to 18,274.84.

-- BERNAMA