KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 27): The FBM KLCI rose 0.48% in early trade this morning, tracking gains at regional markets, lifted by index-linked blue chips including Tenaga Nasional Bhd and Top Glove Corp Bhd.

At 9.05am, the FBM KLCI rose 8.02 points to 1,680.62.

The top gainers included Petronas Gas Bhd, KESM Industries Bhd, Allianz Malaysia Bhd, Top Glove, Tenaga, Yinson Holdings Bhd, Hengyuan Refining Company Bhd, Pentamaster Corp Bhd and Dufu Technology Bhd.

Asian stocks climbed on Thursday after the biggest rally in US equities since 2009 offered relief from this month’s wrenching global market downturn, according to Bloomberg.

Japanese benchmarks jumped about 4% at the open and Australian shares advanced more than 1% as trading resumed after holidays there. Korean stocks were flat, however, and US futures dipped, suggesting the follow-through from the blow-out session on Wall Street — where key indexes climbed about 5% or more — has limits. Crude oil prices built on gains of more than 8% overnight. Ten-year Treasury yields are holding around 2.8%. Some 99% of S&P 500 members finished in the green, the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped more than 1,050 points for its biggest-ever point gain, it said.