KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia opened slightly higher on Friday supported by improving market sentiment and foreign buyers.
At 9.20am, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI was up 0.33 per cent or 5.39 points to 1,620.12 versus Thursday's close of 1,614.73.
The key index opened 1.24 points higher at 1,615.97.
The broader market was positive with gainers leading losers 430 to 238 while 375 counters remained unchanged.
The index board saw FBM100 adding 0.35 per cent to 11,937.77, FBM Emas added 0.36 per cent to 12,348.05 and FBM Ace gained 0.12 per cent to 5,506.50.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice president Thong Pak Leng said the FBM KLCI ended on a positive note on Thursday, driven by robust buying in the utilities sector.
"Given the improving market sentiment and support from foreign buyers, nonetheless investors shall be wary of the increasing global volatility. We forecast the FBM KLCI to move within the 1,615-1,630 range today," said Thong.
On the global front, Thong said Wall Street pared gains and ended mixed as investors are cautious ahead of the US payrolls data.
As a result, the Dow finished 0.20 per cent higher, ending above the 38,886.17 mark, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq saw heavy profit takings, losing 0.09 per cent. Stocks in Hong Kong finished higher, buoyed by positive economic recovery indicators from China.
The Hang Seng Index climbed 0.3 per cent, closing at 18,476.8.