KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia ended firmly higher on Wednesday, buoyed by regional gains and renewed optimism over progress in US-China trade talks.
The FBM KLCI rose 6.89 points, or 0.45%, to close at 1,523.84, tracking the positive momentum across regional markets. The benchmark index moved between an intraday high of 1,530.85 and a low of 1,520.86.
Across the region, Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 0.55%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng advanced 0.84%, and South Korea’s Kospi gained 1.23%.
China’s CSI 300 added 0.75%, while the Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.52%, reflecting broad-based investor optimism.
On the local bourse, market breadth was positive, with 546 gainers, 375 decliners, and 528 counters unchanged. Trading activity was brisk, with 3.3 billion shares traded, worth RM2.6bil.
Foreign investors and retailers were net sellers of RM81mil and RM17mil, respectively, while local institutions emerged as net buyers of RM98mil, according to Bursa Malaysia data.
Consumer stocks led the gainers. F&N jumped 64 sen to RM28.44, Nestle added 56 sen to RM75.56, Heineken rose 32 sen to RM27.32, and Allianz climbed 26 sen to RM19.38.
Top losers included Kuala Lumpur Kepong, which fell 44 sen to RM19.52, Chin Tek down 25 sen to RM8.72, PETRONAS Gas shedding 24 sen to RM17.70, and Country View easing 21 sen to RM2.15.
Meanwhile, the ringgit strengthened 0.04% against the US dollar to 4.2373, and rose 0.02% against the Singapore dollar to 3.2948.
