KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 19): The FBM KLCI rose at the midday break today and looked set to close the day on a positive note, albeit with limited gains in line with the uptick at regional markets.

At 12.30pm, the FBM KLCI gained 2.47 points to 1,658.97.

The top gainers included Panasonic Malaysia Manufacturing Bhd, KESM Industries Bhd, Hap Seng Consolidated Bhd, Genting Plantations Bhd, Petronas Dagangan Bhd, Malaysian Pacific Industries Bhd and My E.G Services Bhd.

The actively traded stocks included Instacom Group Bhd, Hibiscum Petroleum Bhd, Minetech Resources Bhd, The Media Shoppe Bhd, Borneo Oil Bhd and Frontken Corporation Bhd.

The decliners included HCK Capital Group Bhd, Bintulu Port Holdings Bhd, BLD Plantation Bhd, Batu Kawan Bhd, Lay Hong Bhd, DKLS Industries Bhd and Deleum Bhd.

Asian share markets rose on Thursday, as Wall Street bounced on expectations the Federal Reserve would be confident enough of the U.S. economy to raise rates in December, but would then proceed with great caution on further tightening, according to Reuters.

The prospect of the first U.S. hike in almost a decade kept the dollar strong on the overall, and commodities under severe pressure, it said.

BIMB Securities Research said key regional markets ended lower yesterday (Nov 18) as a result of geopolitical issues, dampened commodity prices and an economic slowdown in China.

It said that back home, the FBM KLCI closed 0.3% lower or 5.03 points yesterday, to close at 1,656.50, as investors waited the US Federal Reserve's meeting minutes.

“We anticipate the index to gain buying interest today, following a positive lead from Wall Street and expect the index to hover at around 1,660 - 1,666,” it said.

(Note: The Edge Research's fundamental score reflects a company’s profitability and balance sheet strength, calculated based on historical numbers. The valuation score determines if a stock is attractively valued or not, also based on historical numbers. A score of 3 suggests strong fundamentals and attractive valuations.)