: Bursa Malaysia closed higher to extend its winning streak for a third day Wednesday, lifted by hefty gains in the banking stocks led by Public Bank.
Public Bank contributed 10.59 points to the rise in the composite index after increasing RM1.40 to RM19.86, with 19.84 million shares changing hands on the back of its bonus issue announcement. Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd economist Adam Mohamed Rahim said sentiment in the market was spurred by the positive development on theCovid-19 vaccines with the United Kingdom becoming the first Western nation to embark on a vaccination campaign.
Top Glove fell 25 sen to RM6.84 despite posting another record-breaking quarter in the first quarter of its financial year ended Aug 31, 2021, with its net profit surging over 20 times to RM2.38 billion from RM111.43 million in the same quarter last year. However, the FBM 70 erased 80.07 points to 15,287.47 and the FBM Emas Shariah Index lost 93.45 points to 13,506.43.