KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 19): The FBM KLCI trended sideways in the morning session today but defended its 1,710-point level in line with the advance at regional markets.

At 12.30pm, the FBM KLCI upped 2.09 points to 1,718.91.

The top gainers included Petronas Gas Bhd, Magni-Tech Industries Bhd, Top Glove Corporation Bhd, Century Bond Bhd, DKSH (M) Holdings Bhd, Ajiya Bhd, Can-One Bhd, Asia Fiel Corporation Bhd and Hong Leong Industries Bhd.

The actives included MQ Technology Bhd, The Media Shoppe Bhd, Sanichi Technology Bhd, AirAsia Bhd, Instacom Group Bhd, Wintoni Group Bhd, Nexgram Holdings Bhd and XOX Bhd.

The top losers included UMW Holdings Bhd, Petronas Dagangan Bhd, KLCC Property Holdings Bhd, Nestle (M) Bhd, Lay Hong Bhd, IJM Plantations Bhd, Latitude Tree Holdings Bhd and Sarawak Oil Palms Bhd.

Asian shares held near two-month highs on Monday as a batch of Chinese data showed the world's second-largest economy slowing further but not in danger of a hard-landing, according to Reuters.

Some emerging market currencies trimmed early losses after China's third quarter gross domestic product data showed the economy growing slightly faster than market expectations at 6.9%, it said.

BIMB Securities Research said that in Asia, key indices ended mostly higher last Friday with strong gains in China and Hong Kong as investors ramp up borrowing to buy stocks and expectations build for more government stimulus.

"Japanese also ended higher after upbeat US price and jobless claims data eased recent concerns over the US economy.

"Locally, the FBM KLCI gained 3.57 points or 0.21% to 1,716.82 lifted by heavyweights such as Sime Darby Bhd, IHH Healthcare Bhd and AMMB Holdings Bhd.

"We reckon the local market to remain positive today due to positive global sentiment and the return of foreign investors and expect the index to hover around 1,720–1,725," 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.)