KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia ended firmer on Monday driven by buying interest in selected index-related counters and second liners.

       At 5 pm, the benchmark FBM KLCI closed up 3.68 points at 1,535.41 after moving between 1,538.12 and 1,531.42. It opened 2.48 points higher at 1,534.21 this morning.

       The broader market displayed its weakness as profit-takers triumphed over bargain-hunters. There were 415 gainers, 571 losers and 427 counters traded unchanged on the Bursa Malaysia. Turnover stood at 3.1 billion shares valued at RM2.13bil.

       Among the 30 FBM KLCI constituents, 18 stocks were higher; six were lower while six traded flat.

       Dealers said market sentiment remained weak without any significant positive fresh leads in the market.

       On Bursa Malaysia, Widetech was the top gainer, jumping RM1.13 to RM5.55 followed by Petronas Dagangan, which climbed 88 sen to RM20.68 and BSL Corp, which rose 56 sen to RM2.43.

       Bursa Malaysia Securities has queried BSL Corp after its share price surged to a record high of RM2.43 in the morning session on Monday.

       Genetec, MPI, F&N and Sam Engineering are among the top losers on Bursa Malaysia.

       Maybank, CIMB and Hong Leong Financial Group closed unchanged at RM8.01, RM5.07 and RM17.50 respectively.

       Tenaga gained six sen to RM9.67, Genting rose five sen to RM5.17, Public Bank added one sen to RM4.04, RHB Bank fell one sen to RM5.38 and Top Glove declined eight sen to RM2.40.

       Asian bourses closed lower today, with Japan's Nikkei 225 losing 0.35%, South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.31%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed down 0.43%, China’s Shanghai Composite added 0.2%.