21/07/2011 (Bernama) - Share prices on Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session higher today as investors hunted for bargains after two days of losses, dealers said.

At 12.30pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 7.12 points, over 0.46 per cent, to 1,562.76.

It opened 2.81 points higher at 1,558.45.

HwangDBS Vickers Research Sdn Bhd said the key index was in rebound mode, adding that it had plunged 39.1 points, or 2.5 per cent, over the past seven days.

It said the index was expected to move towards the resistance level of 1,575.

Buying interests were confined to plantation counters on reports of higher crude palm oil exports.

Cargo surveyor Intertek Testing Services reported Malaysian palm oil products for July 1-20 rose 5.4 per cent to 1.02 million tonnes from 969,804 tonnes recorded last month.

Sime Darby gained four sen to RM9.12 while IOI and KL Kepong rose two sen each to RM5.21 and RM21.18, respectively.

The market breath was positive with gainers outpacing losers by 396 to 209, while 279 counters were unchanged.

Turnover stood at 414.43 million shares valued at RM582.98 million.

The Finance Index surged 103.09 points to 14,735.89, Plantation Index added 20.87 points to 7,683.75 and the Industrial Index increased 10.36 points to 2,855.69.

The FTSE Bursa Malaysia Emas Index expanded 52.44 points to 10,714.49, FTSE Bursa Malaysia Mid 70 Index jumped 76.68 points to 11,656.18 and the FTSE Bursa Malaysia Ace Index gained 33.63 points to 4,130.26.

Among active stocks, SAAG Consolidated and Ariantec Global were unchanged at seven sen and four sen respectively while DVM Technology declined 2.5 sen to 14.5 sen.

In heavyweights, Maybank gained six sen to RM8.86, CIMB jumped 10 sen to RM8.54 and Petronas Chemicals was up two sen at RM7.10.