KL shares end on higher note

Share prices on Bursa Malaysia ended higher today in line with regional bourses riding on the improved external sentiment, dealers said.

At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) was 5.27 points higher at 1,627.35, after opening 0.96 of a point lower at 1,621.12.

The benchmark index hovered between 1,619.97 and 1,627.35 during the whole trading session.

Major US equity indices rose between 0.9 per cent and 1.0 per cent last Friday as better economic data in Germany lifted hopes that the Eurozone economy remains on a gradual recovery track.

The Malaysian bourse strived to hold on to last Friday's gain of 8.0 points despite the nervous market outlook, HwangDBS Vickers Research said in a note.

"The institutional funds flowed in to support the market with stocks in focus including Maybank, Telekom Malaysia and Axiata," Mercury Securities head of research Edmund Tham said.

He told Bernama that some market players were adopting a wait-and-see approach in light of the general election.

"There are some who have decided to stay on the sidelines, while the others are still in the market especially those who are holding blue chips," he said.

The Finance Index increased 74.39 points to 15,000.56, the Industrial Index added 1.56 points to 2,785.07 and the Plantation Index rose 14.79 points to 7,917.68.

The FBM Emas Index increased 35.78 points to 11,058.29, the FBMT100 added 35.28 points to 10,912.92, the FBM Mid 70 Index rose 38.78 points to 12,013.11 but the FBM Ace Index was 7.03 points lower at 3,933.85.

Advancers led decliners by 326 to 296 with 325 counters unchanged, 729 untraded and 25 others suspended.

Total volume rose to 850.5 million shares worth RM1.4 billion from last Friday's closing of 831.6 million shares worth RM1.5 billion.

Top gainers were British American Tobacco and Tasek-Pa, which rose 60 sen each to RM57.60 and RM14.60 respectively, and Hong Leong Capital, which gained 33 sen to RM2.31.

Among the actives, Patimas and The Media Shoppe both lost one sen to 5.5 sen and six sen respectively while GPRO Technologies rose half a sen to 11 sen.

Of the heavyweights, Maybank gained eight sen to RM9.15, while Sime Darby and Axiata shed two sen each to RM9.19 and RM6.35 respectively.

Volume on the Main Market declined to 608.33 million shares valued at RM1.39 billion, from last Friday's closing of 753.35 million shares worth RM1.47 billion.

Turnover on the ACE market rose to 220 million units valued at RM21.8 million, from 50.243 million units worth RM5.35 million last week.

Warrants declined to 21.5 million shares valued at RM1.67 million, versus 26.52 million shares worth RM1.638 million previously.

Consumer products accounted for 164.7 million shares on the Main Market, industrial products 89.23 million, construction 36.03 million, trade and services 179 million, technology 116.34 million, infrastructure 18.41 million, finance 49.73 million, hotels 131.8 million, properties 79.82 million, plantations 8.26 million, mining 135,000, REITs 14.66 million and closed/fund
132,000.-- Bernama