BCHB, Genting keep KLCI positive at midday 12.30pm 05 June 2009

The KL Composite Index (KLCI) stayed in positive territory this morning and rose to an intra-morning high of 1,071.7 points before closing 0.40% or 4.24 points higher at 1,068.21 at 12.30pm.Gains at key blue chips including Bumiputra-Commerce Holdings Bhd, KL Kepong Bhd, Genting Bhd, Axiata Group Bhd, IOI Corporation Bhd and SP Setia Bhd helped lift the benchmark KLCI higher. Turnover was 1.24 billion shares valued at RM911.49 million. Gainers beat losers 413 to 157, while 226 counters traded unchanged.BCHB added 30 sen to RM8.95, KLK was up 20 sen to RM12, Genting added 5 sen to RM5.75 while Axiata and IOI Corp rose two sen each to RM2.40 and RM4.66, respectively.SP Setia, which inked a co-operation agreement Thursday to marks its first foray into China, added 8 sen to RM4.18. Meanwhile, Astro All Asia Networks Plc gained 10 sen to RM3.28.The top gainer this morning was Transmile Group Bhd. However, Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd issued the company with an unusual market activity query after its share price surged sharply in early trade today.At 12.30pm, there were 30.92 million shares traded. The counter surged 31.5 sen to RM1.24.

Major losers this morning included YTL Corporation Bhd that fell 10 sen to RM6.70, MISC Bhd and Petronas Gas Bhd which lost 5 sen each to RM8.50 and RM9.70, and PLUS Expressways Bhd that shed 2 sen to RM3.34.Measat Global Bhd, which surged almost 53% and was suspended at 4.18pm Thursday, opened lower this morning on resumption of trade and ended the morning session 8 sen lower at RM1.77.

Other losers included United Kotak Bhd, Shell Refining Company (Federation of Malaya) Bhd, Grand-Flo Solutions Bhd and United Malayan Land Bhd. TA-WB was the most actively traded counter with 119.7 million shares traded. It added half a sen to one sen. Other actively traded stocks included KNM Group Bhd, Compugates Bhd, Saag Consolidated (M) Bhd and Transmile.

Crude palm oil futures on the Bursa Malaysia derivatives exchange rose RM12 to RM2,581 per tonne for August delivery and added RM3 per tonne for July delivery.Light crude oil added 48 cents per barrel to US$69.29 in electronic trading as at 1pm today.

Over at the regional markets, Nikkei 225 added 0.66% to 9.732.73 and the Singapore Straits Times Index gained 0.63% to 2,377.64. Elsewhere, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.29% to 18,449.55, Taiwan's TAIEX Index shed 0.21% to 6,771.94, Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.09% to 2,764.83 while the South Korean Kospi fell 0.05% to 1,377.44.