Bursa's technology index driven by renewed buying interest
Driven by renewed buying interest following the United States-Vietnam trade agreement, the index rose 2.1 points or 4.04 per cent to close at 54.13 from Wednesday's close of 52.03.
Trading volume soared over 333 million units, reaching its highest level in seven weeks.
The index, comprising 49 component stocks, has climbed 11 per cent since June 23, although it remains down 16.9 per cent year-to-date.
Zetrix AI Bhd, formerly known as MyEG Services Bhd, led the most active board with more than 68 million shares traded.
The stock gained one sen or one per cent to 97.5 sen from the previous close of 96.5 sen, lifting its market capitalisation to RM7.43 billion.
The other three high-volume tech stocks were NexG Bhd, Dagang Nexchange Bhd (DNeX) and Inari Amertron Bhd, which saw trading volumes ranging from 28.5 million to 56 million units.
NexG rose one sen or 2.6 per cent to 39 sen, DNeX climbed one sen or 3.4 per cent to 30 sen and Inari edged up 15 sen or 7.5 per cent to RM2.15.
UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors Sdn Bhd head of investment research Mohd Sedek Jantan said the index was driven by robust buying interest in semiconductor and electronics-related counters, in line with the tech-led gains on Wall Street.
"While the deal spares Vietnam from the most severe trade penalties, it reflects a more fragmented and protectionist global trade landscape.
"While domestic market breadth remains constructive and foreign participation encouraging, the external environment continues to evolve.
"Investors are advised to remain vigilant as global trade dynamics, monetary policy signals and geopolitical tensions continue to shape the near-term outlook," he added.
According to Reuters, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington would impose a lower-than-expected 20 per cent tariff on a range of Vietnamese exports.
He also revealed that trans-shipments from third countries routed through Vietnam would be subject to a higher 40 per cent tariff, while Vietnamese imports of US goods would enjoy a zero per cent tariff.
The announcement lifted sentiment across regional markets.
Vietnam's benchmark index climbed 0.6 per cent to its highest level since April 2022, while Singapore's market edged up 0.2 per cent and Thailand's stocks gained 0.9 per cent.
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