KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 27): Continued buying in selected heavyweights, particularly consumer products and services, as well as industrial products and services counters, has lent support to Bursa Malaysia to trade higher at mid-afternoon on Monday (Dec 27).

At 3pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 15.96 points to 1,532.41 from 1,516.45 on Friday.

The index opened 0.92 of-a-point higher at 1,517.37 on Monday.

On the broader market, gainers led losers 425 to 341, while 394 counters were unchanged, 1,150 untraded and 14 others suspended.

Turnover stood at 1.44 billion units valued at RM791.89 million.

Of industrial products and services heavyweight counters, Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd gained 15 sen to RM8.92 and Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Bhd added 13 sen to RM5.66.

As for consumer products and services counters, Harrisons Holdings (Malaysia) Bhd increased 18 sen to RM5, Petronas Dagangan Bhd advanced 16 sen to RM19.98, and Sime Darby Bhd improved three sen to RM2.26. 

Among other heavyweights, Malayan Banking Bhd rose two sen to RM8.27, Public Bank Bhd increased one sen to RM4.13, IHH Healthcare Bhd was 11 sen better at RM6.68, and CIMB Group Holdings Bhd was three sen higher at RM5.39.

Of the actives, Aurelius Technologies Bhd added six sen to RM1.98, Sedania Innovator Bhd was 1.5 sen better at 50.5 sen, Industronics Bhd and Meridian Bhd were flat at 11 sen and 5.5 sen, respectively, while Eduspec Holdings Bhd lost half-a-sen to 1.5 sen.

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index was 97.16 points higher at 11,092.67, the FBMT 100 Index rose 99.54 points to 10,801.25, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index was 137 points better at 11,939.68.

The FBM 70 improved 73.66 points to 14,077.07 and the FBM ACE gained 37.61 points to 6,277.73.

Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index rose 73.5 points to 15,496.12, the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 2.05 points to 199.59, and the Plantation Index advanced 50.7 points to 6,539.21.