KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI ended higher on Thursday, lifted by improving sentiment on hopes of a potential U.S.-Iran peace deal that could ease tensions in the Middle East.
The 30-stock index rose 6.29 points, or 0.37%, to 1,689.71 after moving between its intraday high of 1,690.83 and low of 1,682.81.
Gainers outpaced losers 753 to 486, while 531 counters were unchanged. About 3.8 billion shares, valued at RM3.46bil, changed hands.
Dealers said buying interest was supported by improving risk appetite amid growing optimism over a potential U.S.-Iran agreement, while positive regional market performance also lifted sentiment on Bursa Malaysia.
They added that selective buying in blue chips persisted amid steady market breadth and trading activity.
Among the gainers, Malaysian Pacific Industries
jumped 98 sen to RM33.98, F&N added 58 sen to RM30.68, United Plantations rose 56 sen to RM33.56 and UMS Integration climbed 40 sen to RM5.90.
In contrast, Kuala Lumpur Kepong slid 42 sen to RM21.08, PPB Group fell 18 sen to RM11.54, Gas Malaysia lost 14 sen to RM5.38 and Ajinomoto declined 12 sen to RM12.54.
ACE Market debutant Golden Destinations Bhd fell 11.11%, or five sen, to 40 sen, and was among the most active counters with 93.55 mil shares traded.
On the forex market, the ringgit strengthened 0.07% against the US dollar to 3.9548 and edged up 0.05% versus the Singapore dollar to 3.1102.
Regionally, MSCI’s Asia ex-Japan stock index rose 1.19%, with several markets hitting record highs.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged 2.38% to a record 59,518.34, while South Korea’s Kospi climbed 2.21% to 6,226.05, its highest since Feb 27. Taiwan’s benchmark index rose 1.12% to a record 37,135.55.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 1.72% to 26,394.26. In China, the CSI300 Index advanced 1.1% to 4,736.61, while the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.7% to 4,055.55.
