KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI remained positive as trading halted for the lunch break, even as traders eyed upcoming US payrolls data for signs on the health of the world's largest economy.
Traders bought up the blue-chip benchmark by 5.7 points to 1,675.27 as at midday, putting the index on course to a positive weekly close of about five points.
A rotation out of tech stocks on Wall Street to other sectors spilled over onto Bursa Malaysia, as bank shares took off on a strong rally, erasing losses made in the previous session.
Maybank rose 14 sen to RM10.78, its highest level in 16 months. The rise in the share price of the country's largest bank was in line with the uptrend in Bursa Malaysia's financial service sector, which also attained its highest peak since September 2024.
Other bank heavyweights leading the rally included CIMB gaining 11 sen to RM8.17 and Hong Leong Bank climbing 20 sen to RM22.84.
At the close of morning trading, financial services stocks were up 0.9% to 19,909.47 points.
Broadly, the market was slightly negative as decliners pipped gainers 478 to 440. Trading volume was 1.57 billion shares valued at RM1.18bil.
Most active on the market were MMAG flat at seven sen, Zetrix AI up one sen to 82.5 sen and VS Industry gaining 0.5 sen not 48.5 sen.
Other markets in the region were mostly positive with Japan's Nikkei rising 1.4% to 51,825 and South Korea's Kospi gaining 0.73% to 4,585.
China's CSI300 added 0.21% to 4,747 while the Shanghai Composite index gained 0.36% to 4,097. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.15% to 26,189.
