KUALA LUMPUR (July 3): The FBM KLCI opened higher today after US equity indices finished up overnight on Thursday following the nation's better-than-expected employment data report. 

At Bursa Malaysia today, the KLCI opened 6.72 points higher at 1,543 at 9am. At 9:05am, the KLCI rose 6.94 points to 1,543.22.

"Following the positive (equity) performances in the US and Europe, the KLCI could extend its rally towards the resistance of 1,550 points," JF Apex Securities Bhd analysts wrote in a note today.

At 9:21am, 845 million securities were traded for RM356.41 million. 

Notable gainers included Petronas Dagangan Bhd, Hong Leong Financial Group Bhd and Bursa Malaysia Bhd.

Overnight in the US, it was reported that shares traded at Wall Street closed higher and the Nasdaq reached an all-time closing high on Thursday as investors headed into their long holiday weekend buoyed by a record surge in payrolls, which provided assurance that the US economic recovery was well under way.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 92.39 points, or 0.36%, to 25,827.36, the S&P 500 gained 14.15 points, or 0.45%, to 3,130.01 and the Nasdaq Composite added 53.00 points, or 0.52%, to 10,207.63.

"The US economy added 4.8 million jobs in June, according to the Labor Department, 1.8 million more than analysts expected, setting a second consecutive record. Massive rehiring sent the unemployment rate down to 11.1%," Reuters reported.