KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia’s benchmark index ended higher, amid an overall cautious market sentiment, on bargain-hunting activities, said an analyst. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) advanced 12.87 points or 0.85 per cent to the day’s high of 1,526.52 from Friday’s close of 1,513.65. The benchmark index had opened 3.49 points higher at 1,517.14 and reached an intraday low of 1,514.08. In the broader market, decliners thumped gainers 637 to 288, while 428 counters were unchanged, 995 untraded and nine suspended. Turnover went up to 2.37 billion units valued at RM2.03 billion from Friday’s 2.25 billion units valued at RM2.13 billion. The market was closed on March 31 and April 1 for the Hari Raya public holidays.
Despite market volatility, the US dollar is expected to remain broadly stable in the near term. However, President Trump’s aggressive tariff agenda is clouding the outlook and undermining the greenback’s traditional safe-haven status. Market Dynamics A Reuters FX strategist poll suggests the USD will hold steady over the coming months . However, sentiment is weakening as tariff-related uncertainty escalates , disrupting traditional trading patterns. Positioning Shift Speculators have flipped to net short on the USD for the first time since October, according to CFTC data. A sharp reversal from earlier in 2025, when positioning was heavily long due to Fed policy divergence and US growth resilience. Rate cut expectations have increased , with markets now pricing in three Fed cuts in 2025 , versus two previously. Caution on Pre-Positioning “There’s fatigue in trying to navigate U.S. tariffs… investors don’t want to get trapped pre-positioning...