Malaysia's Stock Market Ends Higher

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian stock market (Bursa Malaysia) ended the week broadly higher on buying momentum in heavyweights and also in line with regional markets. At 5 pm, the FBM KLCI ended 4.91 points or 0.28 per cent better to reach an intraday high of 1,764.0 from Thursday’s close of 1,759.09. The index opened 1.07 points easier at an intraday low of 1,758.02. Market breadth was positive with gainers outpacing losers 488 to 349, while 424 counters were unchanged, 590 untraded and 18 others were suspended. Volume, however, eased to 2.49 billion units, worth RM1.95 billion, from 3.15 billion units, valued at RM2.06 billion recorded on Thursday. The market reacted positively to August's trade figures released by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry on Friday. Malaysia’s exports in August 2017 rose a significant 21.5 per cent to RM82.23 billion and exceeded the RM80 billion mark for the second time in 2017 while total trade expanded 22 per cent to RM154.59 billion. Meanwhile, the trade surplus also increased to RM60.84 billion for the first eight months of 2017 compared with RM52.47 billion recorded in the same period last year. Regionally, Singapore’s Straits Times Index rose 0.86 per cent to 3,289.81, Japan’s Nikkei 225 increased 0.30 per cent to 20,690.71 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng advanced 0.28 per cent 28,458.04. Back home, heavyweights TNB added two sen to RM14.26, Sime Darby jumped eight sen to RM9.12, Petronas Chemicals rose three sen to RM7.35, CIMB added one sen to RM6.41 while Maybank and Public Bank were flat at RM9.54 and RM20.56, respectively. The FBM Emas Index advanced 41.47 points to 12,597.64, the FBMT 100 Index expanded 40.18 points to 12,249.45 and the FBM Emas Shariah Index swelled 50.49 points to 12,854.67. The FBM 70 increased 72.38 points to 15,137.99 and the FBM Ace went up 50.06 points to 6,665.78. Sector-wise, the Plantation Index rose 5.79 points to 7,921.23, the Finance Index rose 17.46 points to 16,575.53 and the Industrial Index grew 11.83 points to 3,215.08. -- BERNAMA