KLCI advances nearly 13pts, AirAsia flies higher

KUALA LUMPUR: Key Asian markets and Bursa Malaysia chalked up solid gains on Friday, buoyed by the firmer overnight close on Wall Street, while the FBM KLCI extended its recovery for the fourth trading day and added nearly 13 points.

At 10.20am, the KLCI was  up 12.41 points or up 0.77%, to 1,614.11. Turnover was 706.34 million shares valued RM444.85mil. There were 432 gainers, 180 losers and 237 counters unchanged.

Reuters reported Japan's Nikkei share average surged more than 2%, helped by further gains on Wall Street after strong U.S. economic data buoyed sentiment that had been shaken by fears of a China-led global economic slowdown.

At Bursa Malaysia, Petronas Gas rose 54 sen to RM21.50, HLFG added 44 sen to RM14.12 and BAT 20 sen to RM61.80.

Other gainers were Huat Lai, up 20 sen to RM3.20, Century Bond added 18 sen to RM1.61, MPI 17 sen to RM6.77 and MBM Resources 16 sen to RM2.94.

AirAsia rose for the second day, gaining four sen to 92.5 sen in active trade.

However, plantations were among the top losers, with Far East sliding 30 sen to RM7.20, Genting Plantations and KL Kepong 18 sen lower at RM9.21 and RM20.62 while PPB Group was down 12 sen to RM15.14.