KUALA LUMPUR: Bank counters led the benchmark stock index higher as investors turn their attention on corporate results that are due out later today and tomorrow.
At 12.30pm, the FBM KLCI was up 6.2 points to 1,450.26, with the country's banking heavyweights leading the rally.
The overall market breadth, however, was negative with 471 decliners compared to 412 gainers.
Trading volume was 2.38 billion shares valued at RM1.44.
Maybank was the most improved with a six sen increase to RM9.06, while Public Bank gained two sen to RM4.10, CIMB rose three sen to RM5.63, Hong Leong Bank jumped 14 sen to RM19.94 and RHB added three sen to RM5.68.
PETRONAS Gas gained six sen to RM17.24, PETRONAS Chemicals rose three sen to RM7.03 and Tenaga Nasional rebounded one sen to RM9.91.
AirAsia X
remained one of the day's leading laggards, diving 29 sen to RM2.19 after the announcement of its results yesterday.
Top actives included RGB losing one sen to 30 sen, Parkson dropping 5.5 sen to 26 sen and Ekovest rising 0.5 sen to 50 sen.
In regional markets, stocks remained buoyed by Beijing's promises to shore up sectors within the economy.
China's main index rose 1.4% to 3,141 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 2% to 18,496.
Japan's Nikkei gained 0.3% to 32,271 while South Korea's Kospi climbed 0.35% to 2,552.
