Key Takeaways Renewed US-Iran tensions pushed Brent crude briefly above US$80 , reigniting concerns over global energy supplies. Despite geopolitical uncertainty, Wall Street avoided a sharp sell-off , suggesting investors believe the conflict remains manageable for now. Higher oil prices have revived expectations of a Federal Reserve rate hike , as markets worry about renewed inflation. Technology stocks remained relatively resilient , showing that AI continues to provide underlying support for equities. The next move in oil prices could determine whether market volatility returns. Market Insight When news broke that the US had launched fresh strikes on Iran , investors immediately rushed into the oil market. Brent crude briefly climbed above US$80 a barrel , as fears grew that escalating tensions could disrupt supplies through the Strait of Hormuz , one of the world's busiest energy shipping routes. Yet the reaction in equities was far more measured. Although the S...
As crude oil slids further down to a new low since May 2009, the FBM KLCI follow suits with a drop of 1.15%. As at time of writing of this post, the Brent crude oil was at US$51.57 a barrel while US crude oil was at US$48.81. The FBM KLCI closed at 1,716.580 pts, a drop of 20.04 pts or 1.15%. With the oil price slump continued, analysts are not being too optimistic. TA Research chartist Stephen Soo told theedgemarkets.com that he did not see the market rebounding over the immediate term, and that it was possible the market could test new lows this year. For the Top 10 Active, Top 10 Gainers and Top 10 Losers, you may find as below: Iris leads the Top active counter for the day United Plantation Bhd, DKSH Bhd, Ibraco Bhd and Muda Holdings Bhd are among the top 10 gainers today The decliners were lead by British American Tobacco (BAT), Syarikat Takaful Malaysia Bhd Regionally, market is also on a downtrend as oil pr...