KUALA LUMPUR: Share prices on Bursa Malaysia were expected to trend higher driven by an improved trend in China equities and its upbeat economic data, analysts said.
They said China’s new manufacturing orders rose to a seven month high and the Shanghai Composite Index traded at six months high which suggested that the Chinese economy was on a gradual recovery track.
Market sentiment was also supported by the US Federal Reserve meeting which left benchmark rates unchanged and the promise of low interest rates until mid-2015, Affin Investment Bank Bhd vice president/head of Retail Research, Dr Nazri Khan said.
He told Bernama that the benchmark index was expected to hit a new record high boosted by strong rebound in finance.
“We are pegging 1,680 and 1,700 as the most likely major targets in the near and medium term,” he said.
Mercury Securities head of research Edmund Tham said economic policy debates during the US presidential election would influence stock market prices cycle.
“We also believe the third quarter local and overseas corporate earnings season will affect the market.”
The market was closed on Friday in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidil Adha.
The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI at the end of trading this week rose 5.54 points to 1,671.89 – a fresh all time high – compared with last Friday’s closing of 1,666.35.
The Finance Index surged 81.97 points to 14,966.77, the Industrial Index rose 39.46 points to 2,907.26 and the Plantation Index advanced 6.10 points to 8,201.71.
The FBM Emas Index jumped 44.32 points to 11,356.48, FBMT100 gained 40.75 points to 11,191 and the FBM 70 Index added 61.69 points to 12,231.42.
However, the FBM ACE Index was 10.46 points lower at 4,272.33.
The weekly turnover declined to 4.859 billion shares valued at RM5.562 billion from 5.956 billion shares worth RM7.976 billion last Friday.
The Main Market volume decreased to 4.03 billion units worth RM5.425 billion from 4.801 billion units valued at RM7.786 billion last week.
The ACE market volume declined to 477.318 million shares valued at RM86.833 million from 883.272 million shares worth RM165.794 million previously.
Warrants rose to 277.44 million units worth RM19.843 million from 197.735 million units valued at RM13.55 million. — Bernama