KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia ended higher on Friday as investors continued to accumulate blue-chip stocks in line with stronger performances across most regional markets. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 4.50 points to 1,724.90 from yesterday’s close of 1,720.40. The benchmark index opened 0.83 of a point higher at 1,721.23, and moved between 1,715.67 and 1,730.12 throughout the day. The broader market was positive with gainers outpacing losers 707 to 402, while 547 counters were unchanged, 1,085 untraded and 56 suspended. Turnover expanded to 3.03 billion units valued at RM3.56 billion from 2.49 billion units valued at RM2.25 billion on Thursday.
Asean and China have officially signed the Asean-China Free Trade Area 3.0 (ACFTA 3.0) , marking a major milestone in bilateral trade relations between the regional bloc and the world’s second-largest economy. The signing ceremony took place on the final day of the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits , witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Chinese Premier Li Qiang . The agreement was signed by Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz and China’s Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao . Expanding a Two-Decade Partnership The ACFTA 3.0 builds on more than 20 years of cooperation under the Asean-China Free Trade Area framework. The original ACFTA agreement was inked in 2002 and fully implemented in 2010 , making it the first FTA established between Asean and an external partner . Since then, the pact has been a cornerstone for trade growth, in...