Glove-makers advance on Ebola fears

KUALA LUMPUR: Glove-makers bucked the weaker broad market on Friday as investors saw buying opportunities amid expectations of a surge demand in gloves following the outbreak of Ebola virus in Africa.

At 11.12am, Supermax was up 14 sen to RM2.31, Kossan added nine sen to RM4.10 while Adventa gained eight sen to RM1.12 and Top Glove edged up seven sen to RM4.70.

The FBM KLCI fell 4.85 points to 1,866.51. Turnover was 864.71 million shares valued at RM564.67mil. Losers beat gainers 527 to 179 while 276 counters were unchanged.

Reuters reported Sierra Leone has declared a state of emergency and called in troops to quarantine Ebola victims, joining neighbouring Liberia in imposing controls as the death toll from the outbreak of the virus hit 729 in West Africa.

The World Health Organisation said it would launch a US$100mil response plan on Friday during a meeting with the affected nations in Guinea. It is in urgent talks with donors and international agencies to send more medical staff and resources to the region, it said.

The WHO on Thursday reported 57 new deaths in the four days to July 27 in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, raising the death toll to 729. It said the number of Ebola cases had topped 1,300.