FBM KLCI Rises 0.17 Pct In Early Trade

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 17 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia traded slightly higher in early action, tracking mixed overnight performance on Wall Street ahead of the US Federal Reserve's interest rate decision tomorrow.

At 9.05 am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 0.17 per cent or 2.80 points to 1,654.95 from Friday’s close of 1,652.15.

The benchmark index opened 2.16 points firmer at 1,654.31. 

The local bourse was closed on Monday, in observance of Prophet Muhammad’s birthday and the Malaysia Day public holiday.

Across the broader market, gainers outnumbered losers 196 to 96, with 225 counters unchanged, 1,988 untraded and seven suspended.

Turnover amounted to 147.54 million shares worth RM126.84 million.

Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd's equity research vice-president, Thong Pak Leng, said the market could see more foreign funds flowing into Asia, anticipating a possible interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve this week.

"We expect the index to hover within the 1,650-1,660 range today,” he said in a note.

IHH Healthcare led the heavyweight counters, rising 17 sen to RM6.95, followed by CIMB, which added nine sen to RM8.25. YTL Corp increased by four sen to RM2.59, Press Metal climbed five sen to RM4.83, and MISC advanced eight sen to RM8.12.

Maybank rose two sen to RM10.66, TNB and Hong Leong Bank remained flat at RM14.78 and RM21.20, respectively, while Public Bank fell three sen to RM4.67.

Among the active counters, Top Glove surged 22 sen to RM1.14, Careplus gained five sen to 31 sen, Supermax soared 15.5 sen to 94.5 sen, LKL International added one sen to 12 sen, and Hartalega strengthened by 71 sen to RM3.13.

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index bagged 69.84 points to 12,372.15, the FBM Emas Shariah Index expanded by 112.98 points to 12,228.79, and the FBMT 100 Index notched up 70.80 points to 12,087.10.  

The FBM 70 Index appreciated 290.76 points to 17,572.64, while the FBM ACE Index put on 8.55 points to 5,092.79. 

By sector, the Financial Services Index shed 12.42 points to 19,538.68, the Plantation Index declined 20.73 points to 7,160.0, but the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 0.69 of-a-point to 175.84, and the Energy Index firmed 2.82 points to 865.63. 

-- BERNAMA