KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's stock rally gained momentum over the early session as regional markets look set to end the week on a positive note.
Shrugging off concerns over US President Donald Trump's latest tariff salvos directed at Europe and Canada, Malaysia's main index rose 4.34 points to 1,540.86.
However, the FBM KLCI remained on track to a weekly loss given the sharp decline over the earlier half of the week.
Reflecting the improved sentiment, the local stock market was broadly higher with advancing issues beating decliners by 467 to 386. Volume was 2.92 billion shares changing hands for RM1.03bil.
Leading the blue chips higher, Axiata jumped 13 sen to RM2.48, Tenaga Nasional rose six sen to RM14.02 and CIMB gained six sen to RM6.76.
Semiconductor-related shares were also seeing buying interest, including Unisem gaining 12 sewn to RM2.28, Vitrox rising 10 sen to RM3.65 and Inari Amertron
gaining eight sen to RM1.99.
On the regional scene, most major markets were positive, with a notable exception being Japan's Nikkei, which stayed flat at 30,626. South Korea's Kospi was up a slight 0.1% to 3,186.
China's composite index was up 1.05% to 3,546 and the blue-chip CSI300 rose 1.11% to 4,054.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 1.9% to 24,485.
