KUALA LUMPUR: Petronas Chemicals gave the FBM KLCI a much needed lift early Monday as crude oil prices advanced while Asian markets were near record highs.
At 9.23am, the FBM KLCI was up 4.37 points or 0.28% to 1,583. Turnover was 1.13 billion shares valued at RM571.66mil. There were 402 gainers, 302 losers and 359 counters unchanged.
Reuters reported Asian shares hovered near record highs on Monday while oil edged closer to US$60 a barrel on hopes a US$1.9 trillion Covid-19 aid package will be passed by US lawmakers as soon as this month just as coronavirus vaccines are being rolled out globally.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was last up 0.2% at 717.2, not far from last week's record high of 730.6.
...