KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia continued its upward trend in the midday session, buoyed by the financial services, plantation, construction and property sectors.
At 12:30 p.m, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) had risen 0.74 per cent, gaining 11.88 points to reach 1,624.76, up from the previous close of 1,612.88.
The broader market also showed strength, with 552 gainers surpassing 402 losers, and 468 counters unchanged.
Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd said investor interest might be driven by developments in the data centre sector, with particular attention likely focused on the construction, property, utilities, building material, and technology sectors.
"Additionally, we expect traders to position ahead of the earnings seasons within the consumer, shipping, and financial sectors in view of more resilient results in the near term," it said.
Malacca Securities also highlighted that traders will be keeping an eye on this week's China Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), US home sales, US employment data, and US ISM manufacturing PMI.
In the commodities market, Brent crude oil fell below US$81 amid concerns that China's economic slowdown might dampen market sentiment, while gold prices continued to trend upwards toward US$2,400.Crude palm oil (CPO) prices are fluctuating between RM3,900 and RM4,000.