Bursa Malaysia ends mixed, CI up 2.95 points

KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia ended mixed today with the benchmark index finishing slightly higher, supported by gains in finance and trade and services index-linked stocks, but the overall market was broadly weaker, dealers said.
The benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) ended higher at 1,773.96, up 2.95 points from the 1,771.01 at close on Wednesday.
After opening 3.29 points higher at 1,774.30, the index moved between 1,773.22 and 1,782.54 throughout the day.
Market breadth was negative as losers outpaced gainers 590 to 377, with 376 counters unchanged, 438 untraded and 28 others suspended.
Volume decreased to 2.95 billion units, valued at RM3.17 billion, from the 3.38 billion units, valued at RM2.90 billion, traded on Wednesday.
A dealer said the local bourse's positive performance was in line with most Asian peers, taking the cue from the stronger overnight Wall Street performance, as well as oil prices rally ahead of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' meeting later today, which is highly expected to extend output cuts into 2018.
The gains on the FBM KLCI was following the feel-good mood from the overnight overseas markets.
However, the broader market was weaker, with losers outpacing gainers, but the barometer index remained positive with buying support in finance and trade and services index-linked stocks, he added.
For heavyweights, Maybank gained three sen to RM9.39, Sime Darby eased two sen to RM9.30, Petronas Chemicals slid four sen to RM7.39 while TNB and Public Bank and were flat at RM13.82 and RM20.08, respectively.
Of actives, AirAsia X fell 2.5 sen to 42.5 sen, Inta Bina added 5.5 sen to 30.5 sen, DRB Hicom gained four sen to RM1.72 while PUC Founder and Borneo Oil edged up half-a-sen each to 15.5 sen and 13 sen respectively.
Among other index-linked gainers, CIMB Group rose 19 sen to RM6.32, Genting Malaysia gained 25 sen to RM6.20, Hong Leong Financial jumped 44 sen to RM16.70 and Hap Seng increased 19 sen to RM9.14.
The FBM Emas Index was 17.61 points higher at 12,692.17, the FBMT 100 Index gained 21.88 points to 12,317.64 and the FBM 70 added 32.27 points to 15,218.26.
The FBM Emas Syariah Index fell 48.36 points to 12,940.97 and the FBM Ace slipped 23.82 points to 6,531.90.
Sector-wise, the Plantation Index improved 6.19 points to 8,060.02, the Finance Index jumped 132.32 points to 16,501.16 and the Industrial Index increased 10 points to 3,282.76.
Main Market turnover decreased to 1.91 billion units worth RM2.99 billion, from 2.30 billion units worth RM2.75 billion, registered on Wednesday.
Volume on the ACE Market slipped to 624.05 million units worth RM132.48 million, from 652.11 million units valued at RM89.03 million previously.
Warrants fell to 399.02 million units valued at RM55.17 million, from yesterday's 419.87 million units worth RM50.37 million.
Consumer products accounted for 101.29 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products (441.04 million), construction (99.76 million), trade and services (748.35 million), technology (77.25 million), infrastructure (6.69 million), SPAC (1.60 million), finance (208.10 million), hotels (1.47 million), properties (175.37 million), plantations (29.72 million), mining (2,000), REITs (18.36 million), and closed / fund (5,300).
The physical price of gold as at 5pm stood at RM167.28 per gramme, up 19 sen from RM167.09 at 5pm yesterday. — Bernama