KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia rebounded to close higher on Wednesday on selective buying of defensive stocks after a volatile trading session. IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan said consumer products and services stocks lifted the key index higher, overcoming lingering geopolitical concerns. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 3.08 points to 1,715.56 from yesterday’s close of 1,712.48. The benchmark index, which opened 1.91 points higher at 1,714.39, moved between 1,710.79 and 1,720.59 during the day’s trading. In the broader market, gainers outstripped decliners 550 to 476, while 612 counters were unchanged, 1,129 untraded, and 48 suspended. Turnover rose to 2.96 billion units valued at RM2.48 billion from 2.94 billion units valued at RM2.56 billion on Tuesday.
At 5pm, the KLCI settled at 1,774.22 points. Investors bargain hunted for local shares after the index fell 4.6 points to 1,771.62 points yesterday.
Today, Inter-Pacific Securities Sdn Bhd research head Pong Teng Siew told theedgemarkets.com : “Overall market sentiment is still mixed, but the [KLCI] likely recouped its losses from yesterday due to its reaction to the earnings season.”
Malaysia's April-June quarter corporate financial-reporting season starts in July, although most companies report their earnings in August.
Today, Bursa Malaysia saw 392 gainers compared with 364 decliners. A total of 1.77 billion shares valued at RM1.89 billion were traded.
Top gainer was KESM Industries Bhd while Mlabs Systems Bhd was the top-active counter. Pong said penny stocks' performance was a good barometer for retail investors' sentiment.
Across Asian share markets, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.05% while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.91%. South Korea's Kospi added 0.44%.
Reuters reported that Asian shares rose on Tuesday after modest gains on Wall Street, while robust metals prices underpinned some regional markets even as investors remained wary ahead of the annual central banking conference in Jackson Hole later this week.
Source: The Edge
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