KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia halted a four-day decline to close on a positive note today, driven by bargain hunting and indications of modest window dressing activities. 

The momentum aligns with the optimistic sentiment in the regional markets.

At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) closed 3.44 points or 0.24 per cent firmer to 1,454.22 from Tuesday's closing of 1,450.78.

The FBM KLCI opened 1.59 points better at 1,452.37 and moved between 1,452.08 and 1,455.44 throughout the day.

In the broader market, gainers thumped losers 468 to 380, while 467 counters were unchanged, 988 untraded, and 56 others suspended.

Turnover jumped to 3.29 billion units worth RM2.06 billion from 2.91 billion units worth RM1.96 billion on Tuesday. 

Rakuten Trade equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the FBM KLCI closed higher in tandem with the positive performance of the regional bourses. 

Thong expects the FBM KLCI to trend higher given the cheap valuations, while expectations of a rate cut in the US by the first quarter of 2p24 will lift investor sentiment. 

"Hence, we anticipate the FBM KLCI to trend within the range of 1,450-1,470 for the rest of the week," he told the Business Times. 

Among heavyweights, YTL Power International Bhd improved three sen to RM2.53, Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Bhd rose one sen to RM4.80 and Maxis Bhd up one sen better at RM4.80. 

Of the actives, Sarawak Cable added 11 sen to 39 sen and Zelan Bhd improved 1.5 sen to 8.5 sen, while Widad Group Bhd was half-a-sen better at 48 sen.