KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia and Asian markets started Friday on a firmer footing, heaving a sigh of relief over the stronger overnight close on Wall Street.
At 9.10am, the KLCI was up 13.03 points or 1.07% to 1,232.75, underpinned by Bursa Malaysia, Hong Leong Bank and Public Bank. Turnover was 283.66 million shares valued at RM113.32mil. There were 286 gainers, 95 losers and 136 counters unchanged.
Asian shares sought a reprieve as Wall Street eked out gains, bonds rallied and oil boasted its biggest bounce on record, though a panicked rush into US dollars suggested the crisis was far from done, Reuters reported.
South Korean shares bounced 2.6%, though that still left them down 15% for the week. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan firmed 0.6%, while Australia's beleaguered market rose 2.9%. Japan's Nikkei dipped 1%.
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