BURSA Malaysia ended the morning trading session higher after it rebounded following a temporary slip during early trading.
At 12.30pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 10.23 points to 1,334.73 from yesterday’s close of 1,324.50.
On the broader market, gainers trumped losers 402 to 222, with 288 counters unchanged, 1,207 not traded and 26 others suspended.
Turnover amounted to 1.97 billion shares worth RM1.07 mil.
Healthcare stocks have been outperforming since the outbreak of Covid-19 hit the global market in mid-January while other sectors such as commodity and finance have been under pressure.
Healthcare heavyweights Hartalega rose 21 sen to RM6.90 while IHH was four sen higher at RM5.14
Other blue chips also recorded gains after choppy trading, with Digi gaining 16 sen to RM4.31 and Petronas Chemicals rising 13 sen to RM4.64.
As for top gainers, consumer products and services stocks continued to dominate the chart with F&N gaining RM1.02 to RM30.72 while Nestle went up by RM3.60 to RM139.10, Panasonic Manufacturing added RM1.00 to RM25.80 and Dutchlady added 74 sen to RM40.78.
On the overall index performance, almost all were on a positive note, with the FBM Emas Index surging 116.54 points to 9,104.61 while the FBM 70 gained 301.28 points to 10,333.65 and the FBM Emas Shariah Index garnered 156.17 points to 9,927.03.
The FBMT 100 Index increased 110.72 points to 9,039.96 and the FBM Ace rose 89.16 points to 3,747.43.
Sector-wise, the Industrial Products and Services Index added 1.40 points to 102.38, the Plantation Index gained 20.57 points to 6,034.38 and the Financial Services Index was 54.53 points better at 12,202.95. — March 26, 2020, Bernama
