KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia closed higher at midday supported by construction and plantation sectors.
At 12.30pm, FTSE Bursa Malaysia (FBM) KLCI added 0.48 per cent or 7.67 points to 1,611.65 versus Friday's close of 1,603.98.
The broader market saw gainers led losers 463 to 435 while 453 counters were unchanged.
On the index board, FBM100 rose 0.48 per cent to 11,897.20, FBM Emas gained 0.48 per cent to 12,186.10 and FBM Ace added 0.34 per cent to 5,103.23.
Maybank Investment Bank said the FBM KLCI started the week with a push back above the 1,610 level possibly on a cooling US labour market that could bring more interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve, and optimism surrounding China's NPC meeting this week.
"The broad market flipped positive as well with majority of the sectors trading green. Both the construction and plantation (strong trade volume vs their historical average) sectors' indices outperformed," it said in a note.