At 9.05am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 9.39 points to 1,715.20, up from Wednesday’s close of 1,705.81.
The benchmark had opened 8.08 points higher at 1,713.89.
Market breadth was positive, with gainers outnumbering decliners 259 to 85. A total of 251 counters were unchanged, while 2,117 were untraded and nine were suspended.
Turnover stood at 131.47 million shares worth RM93.80 million.
IPPFA director of investment strategy and country economist Sedek Jantan said the easing of trade-related uncertainty had lifted near-term risk appetite across Asian markets, supporting Bursa’s upward momentum.
“Beyond external cues, Bursa Malaysia’s ability to close higher yesterday despite a challenging global backdrop highlights its declining short-term correlation with Wall Street. This suggests investors are becoming more discerning, with capital increasingly anchored to domestic fundamentals, earnings visibility, and valuation support rather than reacting mechanically to offshore headline risk.
“If sustained, this would reinforce the view that current market resilience is becoming structural rather than a temporary relief rally,” he added.
He said attention would later turn to Bank Negara Malaysia’s Monetary Policy Committee decision.
“While consensus fully prices in no change to the policy rate, the announcement remains important from a signalling perspective. A steady policy stance would further entrench confidence among businesses and investors, reinforcing expectations of interest rate stability amid moderating inflation and a still-supportive growth backdrop,” he added.
Among heavyweight stocks, Maybank rose 12 sen to RM11.22, Public Bank added four sen to RM4.78, CIMB Group increased two sen to RM8.24, Tenaga Nasional gained eight sen to RM13.88, while IHH Healthcare was unchanged at RM8.46.
On the most active list, SMRT Holdings perked up one sen to 20 sen, OB Holdings added half-a-sen to 20 sen, IJM Corp advanced seven sen to RM2.56, ACE debutant Guan Huat Sen Holdings shed one sen to 24 sen, and Reneuco fell half-a-sen to three sen.
Top gainers included Nestle, up 50 sen to RM116.50; Allianz Malaysia, 34 sen to RM21.92; United Plantations, 20 sen to RM30.50; Kuala Lumpur Kepong, 18 sen to RM20.18; and Malaysian Pacific Industries, 16 sen to RM34.16.
Leading decliners were Zhulian Corp, down seven sen to RM1.00; Mercury Industries, 5.5 sen to 62 sen; MISC, four sen to RM7.74; Tomei Consolidated, four sen to RM2.01; and QL Resources, three sen to RM4.02.
On the broader market, the FBM Emas Index rose 66.94 points to 12,631.89, the FBM Top 100 Index gained 69.04 points to 12,428.08, the FBM Emas Shariah Index added 59.06 points to 12,302.56, the FBM Mid 70 Index climbed 101.88 points to 17,554.49, and the FBM ACE Index increased 15.90 points to 4,934.61.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index rose 140.47 points to 20,689.13, the Energy Index gained 2.02 points to 772.70, the Industrial Products and Services Index advanced 0.95 of-a-point to 176.02, and the Plantation Index recovered 38.02 points to 8,336.15.