KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI finished higher on Friday, riding on the coat tails of the firmer key Asian markets.

The benchmark index closed at 1,441.90, up 0.09% or 1.30 points, taking its full-week gains to 0.86 points.

The market traded within a range of 4.82 points between an intra-day high of 1,444.15 and a low of 1,439.33 during the session.

Gainers and decliners were closely balanced, with 426 gainers against 430 losers and 463 that were flat. Turnover was at 2.723 billion shares valued at RM1.7bil.

In terms of fund flows, foreign funds and retailers were net sellers on Thursday offloading equities worth RM100mil and RM3mil respectively.

Local institutions emerged as net buyers with total purchases valued at RM103mil.

Nestle surged RM1 to RM125.90, Hextar Technologies jumped 70 sen to RM24.40, Rapid rose 34 sen to RM26.20 and PPB added 20 sen to RM15.44.

Among the losers, ViTrox slid 28 sen to RM6.92, Southern Acids fell 21 sen to RM3.24, AirAsia X lost 10 sen to RM1.98 and Kotra declined nine sen to RM5.11.

Among the key regional markets:

Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed up 1.27% to 30,991.69;

Shanghai Composite Index added 0.99% to 3,017.78;

Taiwan’s Taiex rise 0.38% to 16,134.61;

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index closed up 2.08% to 17,398.73 and

South Korea’s Kospi advanced 0.16% to 2,302.81 points.