Kuala lumpur: Bursa Malaysia extended its gains in mid-morning trade on Tuesday, driven by continued buying in plantation and utility heavyweights. At 11 am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 9.0 points to 1,707.44, up from Monday's close of 1,698.44. The benchmark index had opened 1.25 points higher at 1,699.69.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, market breadth was negative as losers outnumbered gainers 525 to 317. A total of 455 counters remained unchanged, with 1,405 untraded and 22 suspended. Turnover stood at 1.51 billion shares, valued at RM740.83 million.
In terms of heavyweight stocks, Malayan Banking Bhd gained four sen to RM10.98, while Public Bank Bhd rose five sen to RM4.97. CIMB Group Holdings Bhd added one sen to RM7.70. However, Tenaga Nasional Bhd slipped two sen to RM14.28, and IHH Healthcare Bhd fell three sen to RM8.44.
Among actively traded counters, Tanco Holdings Bhd climbed 4.5 sen to 28.5 sen, and Epicon Bhd added 0.5 sen to 17 sen. On the other hand, Velesto Energy Bhd lost 1.5 sen to 27 sen, Vinvest Capital Holdings Bhd fell two sen to one sen, and Dagang NeXchange Bhd shed one sen to 41.5 sen.
In the top gainers' list, Fraser and Neave Holdings Bhd advanced 38 sen to RM29.32, while Petronas Gas Bhd rose 36 sen to RM17.82. Batu Kawan Bhd gained 30 sen to RM21.70, Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd added 26 sen to RM4.61, and United Plantations Bhd climbed 18 sen to RM35.20.
On the contrary, Malaysian Pacific Industries Bhd led the losers, dropping 86 sen to RM43.44. Nestle (Malaysia) Bhd fell 50 sen to RM91.22, Frontken Corporation Bhd lost 17 sen to RM4.67, Kelington Group Bhd eased 16 sen to RM7.54, and UWC Bhd declined 13 sen to RM5.88.
Among the broader indices, the FBM Emas Index gained 32.59 points to 12,586.55. The FBMT 100 Index added 33.46 points to 12,420.06, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index rose 21.82 points to 12,419.21. Meanwhile, the FBM 70 Index slipped 80.18 points to 17,746.18, and the FBM ACE Index shed 53.99 points to 4,811.02.
By sector, the Financial Services Index climbed 81.82 points to 20,101.89, the Plantation Index rose 35.11 points to 9,422.63, and the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 2.02 points to 185.54. However, the Energy Index fell 0.82 of a point to 772.47.