Bursa Malaysia ended the first day of the second half of the year on a positive note, supported by stronger performances in regional markets, particularly in financial service stocks.

By the 5pm close, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 0.51% or 8.11 points to reach 1,598.20, up from Friday's close of 1,590.09.

Starting slightly higher at 1,590.26, the benchmark index traded within a range of 1,587.03 to 1,598.36 throughout the session.

On the broader market, gainers thumped decliners 685 to 408, with 450 counters unchanged, 831 untraded and five others suspended.

Trading volume saw a decline to 3.66 billion units valued at RM2.77 billion, compared to the previous week's 4.30 billion units worth RM3.08 billion.