Bursa malaysia: Bursa Malaysia saw a positive opening on Friday, buoyed by buying interest in anticipation of the upcoming National Day celebrations. As the nation prepares for Merdeka Day, which will be observed as a public holiday next Monday, the local stock exchange has shown signs of potential support.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 1.73 points, reaching 1,743.45 at 9.02 am, up from Thursday's close of 1,741.72. The index had initially opened 1.98 points higher at 1,743.70. The market displayed a positive breadth, with 156 gainers surpassing 91 losers. Additionally, 284 counters remained unchanged, 2,322 were untraded, and 98 were suspended. The turnover reached 146.72 million shares, valued at RM68.10 million.
Apex Securities Bhd highlighted that the pre-Merdeka buying interest could continue to support the local bourse. Investors are also digesting the latest corporate earnings and company developments, with individual stock performances influenced by results. The firm noted that while the market may benefit from improving technology sentiment and pre-Merdeka positioning, investors are likely to exercise selectiveness amidst ongoing earnings releases and external uncertainties.
Among the heavyweights, Maybank saw an increase of 10 sen to RM10.72, Public Bank rose by two sen to RM5.02, and IHH Healthcare gained three sen to RM8.18. Conversely, CIMB Group and Tenaga Nasional experienced decreases, sliding seven sen to RM8 and shedding six sen to RM14.24, respectively.
On the list of most active stocks, JAKS Resources, Ingenieur Gudang, TWL, and MAG remained flat at 12.5 sen, four sen, 2.5 sen, and 16 sen, respectively, while AIMFLEX edged up by half a sen to 13.5 sen. Top gainers included Malaysian Pacific Industries, which climbed 36 sen to RM43.18, and Hong Leong Financial, which increased 18 sen to RM19.32.
In contrast, among the top losers, Padini fell by seven sen to RM1.27, SAM Engineering and Equipment decreased by five sen to RM4.37, while Inari Amertron and Gamuda each slid four sen to RM2.46 and RM4.48.
For the broader indices, the FBM Mid 70 Index rose by 34.68 points to 18,309.84, the FBM Emas Shariah Index increased by 16.25 points to 12,713.17, and the FBM Emas Index improved by 17.55 points to 12,909.66. The FBM Top 100 Index gained 15.53 points to 12,716.79, and the FBM ACE Index appreciated 3.33 points to 5,355.55.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index leapt 20.39 points to 20,393.68, while the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 0.78 of a point to 190.16. The Plantation Index added 19.88 points to 9,363.09, and the Energy Index ticked up 2.75 points to 787.81.