KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia continued its upward momentum at mid-afternoon today on persistent buying interest in heavyweights, led by Petronas Chemicals.
However, the gains in the index-linked stocks were capped by selling in rubber gloves counters as profit-taking emerged.
At 3.05 pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KCLI (FBM KLCI) increased 14.65 points or 1.04% to 1,424.81 from 1,410.16 at Monday’s close.
The barometer index opened 9.61 points higher at 1,419.77.
Market breadth, however, was negative, with losers outpacing gainers 513 to 484, while 329 counters were unchanged, 565 untraded and 19 others suspended.
Trading volume remained high at 7.14 billion units worth RM3.13 bil.
Of the heavyweights, Petronas Chemicals bagged 30 sen to RM5.86, Maybank rose nine sen to RM7.50, Sime Darby Plantation and Dialog rose 12 sen each to RM4.82 and RM3.65 while IHH was seven sen higher at RM5.56.
Rubber glove index-linked counters Hartalega, however, lost 23 sen to RM8.90 and Top Glove eased 10 sen to RM10.40.
Energy-linked stocks continued to lead the most active counters, as KNM and Bumi Armada edged down one sen each to 23 sen and 25 sen respectively, Velesto and Sapura Energy were flat at 17 sen and 10 sen respectively, while Icon Offshore ticked up half-a-sen to 13 sen.
Top gainer KLK advanced 56 sen to RM21.06 while top loser, Supermax-C79, was 15 sen lower at 96 sen.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index leapt 100.74 points to 10,080.07, the FBMT 100 Index climbed 106.89 points to 9,922.34 and the FBM Emas Shariah Index was 113.67 points firmer at 11,413.58.
The FBM 70 jumped 154.43 points to 12,484.87 but the FBM ACE slid 15.40 points to 5,387.91.
Sector-wise, Healthcare Index fell 11.32 points to 1,829.41 and the Energy Index retreated 10.19 points to 832.02
The Financial Services Index gained 94.24 points to 12,425.33, the Industrial Products and Services Index inched up 2.67 points to 124.26 and the Plantation Index surged 114.69 points to 6,448.37. – May 19, 2020, Bernama
