KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 — Bursa Malaysia closed 0.76 per cent higher today, boosted by improved market sentiment across the region, as buying support emerged primarily in banking, gaming and glove stocks.
On the broader market, gainers thumped loser 701 to 322, while 417 counters were unchanged, 863 untraded, and 13 others suspended. “We are cautiously optimistic given the improvement in local market sentiment and foreign support, while on the other hand, investors should stay alert on the increasing market volatility and external uncertainties,” he told Bernama.“After breaking the 1,600 level, we see the next resistance at 1,620 and support at 1,580,” he added.
Of the actives, CSH and AT Systematization improved half-a-sen to 16.5 sen and 2.5 sen, respectively, XOX and Pasukhas were both flat at two sen, respectively, while Fitters lost two sen to 15 sen, and Sapura Energy eased half-a-sen to three sen. Sector-wise, the Industrial Products and Services Index gained 2.13 points to 203.94, the Financial Services Index went up 162.84 points to 16,748.81, while the Plantation Index lost 4.93 points to 8,048.40.