KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI opened higher on Wednesday, July 21, lifted by gains at blue chips including Tanjong, Public Bank and DiGi.

At 9.05am, the benchmark index was up 3.59 points to 1,341.26.

Among the gainers in early trade, Tanjong and Cocoaland added 16 sen each to RM17.80 and RM2.72.

AmResearch has initiated coverage on Cocoaland with a fair value of RM3.

SEG International continued to be on investors' radar and added 14 sen to RM2.53, while Tan Chong advanced 10 sen after the Malaysian Automotive Association said vehicle sales in the country are expected to hit a record high of 570,000 units this year.

Public Bank rose 10 sen after it declared an interim dividend of 25 sen per. The bank posted net profit of RM734.08 million in the second quarter ended June 30, up 20% from RM610.74 million a year ago, underpinned by strong growth in net interest and financing income, higher non-interest income and lower loan impairment allowances.

Meanwhile, DiGi added eight sen to RM23.74 after it reported net profit of RM278.41 million in 2Q, up 18.7% from RM234.46 million a year ago, boosted by its postpaid and data revenue. It declared a second interim dividend of 35 sen single-tier exempt dividend per share of 10 sen each.