KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia closed higher supported by the Santa Claus rally with buying activities in construction, healthcare and utilities sectors.
The FTSE Bursa Malaysia (FBM) KLCI rose 0.89 per cent or 14.44 points to 1,628.14 versus Thursday's close of 1,613.70.
The key index moved between 1,616.69 and 1,632.63 throughout the day.
In the broader market, gainers led losers 617 to 420 while 540 counters were unchanged.
FBM100 added 0.85 per cent to 12,165.17, FBM Emas gained 0.83 per cent to 12,481.75 and FBM Ace rose 0.32 per cent to 5,350.17.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice president Thong Pak Leng said the FBM KLCI is showing signs of a bullish rebound as the price moves above key Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs), supported by a bullish moving average convergence/divergence (MACD) crossover.
"The short- to medium-term outlook remains positive, with potential for further gains if the index can break above 1,635."
"Looking ahead to next week, we anticipate that year-end window dressing may continue until the end of the year, with the FBM KLCI likely to trend within the range of 1,625 to 1,645," he said.