KUALA LUMPUR: Blue chips advanced at the midday break on Thursday, with the FBM KLCI chalking up one of the biggest gains in recent days, led by Sime Darby and Petronas Gas.
At 12.30pm, the KLCI was up 5.74 points or 0.34% to 1,704.73. Turnover was 862.21 million shares valued at RM669.79mil. There were 335 gainers, 292 losers and 355 counters unchanged.
The ringgit was quoted at 3.8137 against the US dollar from the previous close of 3.8103.
Reuters reported the greenback firmed to a near one-week high ahead of US gross domestic product data that could reinforce expectations that the Federal Reserve is on track to raise interest rates as early as September.
At Bursa Malaysia, consumer stock BAT was the top gainer, up 32 sen to RM66.92 and F&N 20 sen to RM18.10 while Ajinomoto added 13 sen to RM4.97 in thin trade.
Crude palm oil for third-month delivery fell RM1 to RM1 to RM2,110 per tonne.
Sime Darby rose 11 sen to RM8.53 and added 1.16 points to the KLCI. PPB Group added six sen to RM15.18, KL Kepong two sen to RM21.72, IOI Corp was flat at RM4.23.
Genting Bhd
rose 12 sen to RM8.13 while Tenaga gained two sen to RM12.16.
Top Glove continued to attract strong interest due to its exposure to the exports market and benefiting from the stronger US dollar. It rose 18 sen to RM7.82.
US light crude oil inched up six cents to US$48.85 and Brent 25 cents to US$53.63. Petronas Gas added 14 sen to RM21.76, Petronas Chemicals three sen to RM6.41 and Petronas Dagangan two sen to RM20.66 while SK Petro added eight sen to RM2.41.
Among the banks, Hong Leong Bank added six sen to RM13.56, Public Bank two sen to RM18.86 but Maybank and CIMB fell three sen each to RM9.03 and RM5.26. RHB Capital lost seven sen to RM7.31.
Only World Group gained 13 sen to RM2.91.
Among the key regional markets:
Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.99% to 20,504.29;
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.07% to 24,602.02;
CSI 300 fell 0.19% to 3,923.06;
Shanghai’s Composite Index lost 0.04% to 3,787.49;
Shenzen Composite was down 0.12% to 2,196.22;
Hang Seng China Enterprise was down 0.54% to 11,213.36;
Taiwan’s Taiex rose 1.13% to 8,660.67;
South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.83% to 2,020.63 and
Singapore’s Straits Times Index fell 0.55% to 3,266.07.
Spot gold fell US$3.49 to US$1,093.35.
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