KUALA LUMPUR: Positive sentiment surrounding the overnight policy rate (OPR) status quo, coupled with easing geopolitical uncertainty, supported the Bursa Malaysia benchmark index in closing higher today.
The index surpassed its previous peak of 1,713.45 recorded on Feb 27, 2019.
At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 11.33 points, or 0.66 per cent, to 1,717.14 from Wednesday's close of 1,705.81.
The barometer index opened 8.08 points higher at 1,713.89 and moved between an intraday low of 1,711.29 in early trade and a high of 1,717.66 during the mid-morning session.
Market breadth was positive, with gainers outpacing losers 622 to 435, while 589 counters were unchanged, 1,066 counters untraded, and nine suspended.
Turnover slid to 2.81 billion units worth RM3.41 billion from Wednesday's 2.94 billion units worth RM3.14 billion.
Earlier this afternoon, Bank Negara Malaysia's (BNM) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has decided to maintain the OPR at 2.75 per cent during its meeting today.
The MPC considers the monetary policy stance to be appropriate and supportive of the economy amid price stability, said the central bank.
Hence, amid a broadly accommodative monetary policy backdrop and a tariff pullback by US President Donald Trump on several European Union economies, IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan said market performance today was notably robust, with broad-based gains across all segments.
He said that while Wall Street in the United States experienced a recent sharp pullback, the FBM KLCI remained firmly in positive territory, with momentum extending into today's session.
"While markets may still require a few days of conciliatory signals before fully moving past the Greenland episode, attention is gradually shifting back towards macroeconomic and policy drivers ahead of the upcoming US Federal Reserve meeting.
"This refocus could keep global markets selective, particularly as stabilising US labour conditions continue to support a cautious policy bias," he told Bernama.
Against this backdrop, he opined that Malaysia's relative resilience stands out, underpinned by strong macroeconomic fundamentals that provide a solid structural base for corporate earnings growth.
Among heavyweights, Maybank rose 12 sen to RM11.22, Public Bank added four sen to RM4.78, CIMB gained eight sen to RM8.30, RHB Bank climbed 14 sen to RM8.13, and Press Metal Aluminium notched up 10 sen to RM7.50.
On the most active list, SMRT perked up one sen to 20 sen, Velesto Energy put on 2.5 sen to 31.5 sen, Nationgate jumped 19 sen to RM1.19, Tanco rose two sen to RM1.31, while Zetrix AI eased half-a-sen to 81 sen.
As for the top gainers, Nestle advanced RM1.40 sen to RM117, Allianz Malaysia added RM1.08 to RM22.66, United Plantations was 42 sen higher at RM30.72, LPI Capital garnered 32 sen to RM15.40, and Hong Leong Bank increased 28 sen to RM24.20.
Among the leading decliners, Fraser & Neave slid 16 sen to RM36.00, Petronas Gas slipped 10 sen to RM18.70, Solarvest lost nine sen to RM2.81, Atlan decreased 13 sen to 2.72, and Kein Hing International edged down nine sen to RM1.21.