Malaysian shares closed 0.80 percent higher on Thursday as foreign funds snapped up banking and construction blue chips, dealers said. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index gained 6.66 points to 885.47, with advancers outpacing decliners 339 to 128.
"Some foreign funds were actively accumulating select blue chips including banking and construction stocks," a dealer at a bank-backed brokerage told Dow Jones Newswires. "Quarterly window-dressing also helped maintain momentum and offset intermittent profit-taking by retail investors," he said. Among gainers, Resorts World gained 6.80 percent to 2.19 ringgit while Genting rose 4.90 percent to 3.86. On the downside, Sime Darby lost 0.9 percent to 5.80 ringgit and Lafarge Malayan Cement was down 1.00 percent at 3.94.