KUALA LUMPUR: Share prices on Bursa Malaysia ended mostly higher yesterday as investors took up fresh position after “sitting on the fence” for the past two trading days, said dealers.The benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (FBM KLCI) rose 5.88 points to end at 1,218.61 after opening 1.67 points higher at 1,214.40 this morning.

Throughout the trading day, the FBM KLCI moved between 1,214.40 and 1,219.41, moving toward the year’s highest closing level of 1,221.20 recorded on Sept 18.

On the local bourse, the FBM Emas Index added 56.10 points to 8,190.50, the FBM Top 100 rose 45.05 points to 7,979.39 while the FBM 70 advanced 71.39 points to 8,036.88 but the FBM ACE Index lost 24.98 points to 4,106.12.

The Finance Index jumped 69.88 points to 10,113.02, while the Plantation Index increased 54.76 points to 5,920.07 but the Industrial Index went down 0.47 of a point to 2,635.13. Advancers led decliners 478 to 178 with 218 counters unchanged and 415 others untraded.

Turnover rose to 879.045 million shares worth RM1.312 billion from 641.769 million shares worth RM1.086 billion on Tuesday.

Volume leader, KNM Group rose three sen to 80 sen with 68.612 million shares traded, followed by Time Engineering which added 7.5 sen to 36 sen, SAAG Consolidated gained half-a-sen to 21.5 sen and Time DotCom gained three sen to 39.5 sen.

Axiata, which was also among the actively traded shares, ended three sen lower at RM3.04 on news that its competitor, Reliance Communications (RCOM), planned to offer the cheapest tariff in India.

Among heavyweights, Sime Darby shed two sen to RM8.55, Maybank added two sen to RM6.73, CIMB Group rose 10 sen to RM11.60, Tenaga Nasional was flat at RM8.21 and IOI Corp gained seven sen to RM5.24.

The main market turnover increased to 809.876 million shares worth RM1.297 billion from 559.144 million shares valued at RM1.068 billion on Tuesday. The ACE market volume fell to 41.862 million units valued at RM7.916 million from 52.168 million units worth RM10.709 million on Tuesday.

Warrants rose to 23.534 million shares worth RM5.342 million from 23.456 million shares valued at RM4.686 million previously.

Consumer products accounted for 32.300 million shares traded on the main market, industrial products 170.431 million, construction 53.228 million, trade and services 323.775 million, technology 33.336 million, infrastructure 36.369 million, finance 54.919 million, hotels 1.407 million, properties 83.695 million, plantations 18.697 million, mining nil, REITs 1.665 million and closed/fund 50,000. — Bernama