KUALA LUMPUR: Bargain hunters helped push Bursa Malaysia's key index up to close marginally higher at midday, after it fell below the 1,590 level in the morning session.
Investors focused on mopping up heavyweights in the industrial and financial sectors.
At 12.30pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 0.36 of a point to 1,598.54 from yesterday's close of 1,598.18.
The benchmark index opened 1.63 points higher at 1,599.81 and fluctuated between 1,588.99 and 1,599.94 during the morning session.
On the broader market, losers led gainers 591 to 304, while 440 counters remained unchanged.
Turnover was at 2.22 billion shares valued at RM1.14 billion.
In a note today, Malacca Securities Research said as the year-end holiday season approaches, it remains bullish on the tourism and aviation industries, supported by the momentum in AirAsia X Bhd and Capital A Bhd.
The firm added that the escalation of the Ukraine-Russia conflict may create opportunities in gold-related stocks.
"While, a stronger US dollar, coupled with potential tariffs from the Trump administration, continues to favour export-oriented sectors such as technology and gloves. "Additionally, we are optimistic about the construction, property, and building materials sectors, which may experience earnings momentum growth driven by data centre investments earlier this year," it said.