KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s benchmark stock index bounced higher in morning trade after a negative start as investors traded horizontally in anticipation of key economic data releases this week.
As trading halted for the lunch break, the FBM KLCI was up 3.12 points to 1,606.03, with the broader market underpinned by 552 gainers compared to 479 decliners and 471 stocks unchanged.
The share turnover was 2.77 billion crossing hands for RM1.64bil.
In key regional markets, Japan’s Nikkei was up 0.1% to 38,202 while China’s composite index slipped 0.1% to 3,144.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.1% to 19,089 and Singapore’s Straits Times Index dropped 0.1% to 3,301.
On Bursa Malaysia, YTL Power maintained its rally, rising 13 sen to RM5.05, while YTL Corp climbed 14 sen to RM3.53.
Other leading gainers included MPI adding 40 sen to RM32.48, PTT rallying 37 sen to RM1.94 and United Plantation rising 24 sen to RM25.60.
ACE Market debutant Farm Price soared 17.5 sen to 41.5 sen.
Of actives, MMAG was up 0.5 sen to 38 sen, Iconic dropped one sen to 10.5 sen and AT Systemization added four sen to 25 sen.