KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia concluded the midday session with positive results, driven by the plantation and utilities sectors.
At 12:30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) increased by 0.12 percent, adding 1.99 points to reach 1,637.31, compared to Wednesday's close of 1,635.32.
The broader market, however, was negative, with 545 losers outpacing 377 gainers, while 452 counters remained unchanged.
Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd said with the positive performance on Wall Street, we may see spillover buying support in the local technology sector.
"YTL-related stocks could also trade actively higher, driven by strong earnings momentum in the latest quarterly results.
"Additionally, the monkeypox situation may provide a slight boost to healthcare stocks. We also favour consumer and financial stocks due to the stronger ringgit environment," it said.
In the commodity markets, Brent oil continued to decline due to the payroll revision and weaker demand from China, while gold prices remained steady above US$2,500.
Meanwhile, the crude palm oil (CPO) prices saw a slight rebound, trading above RM3,700.