KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 (Bernama) -- The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) continued its decline, breaching the key support level of 1,490-1,500, driven by heightened investor concerns over the potential repercussions of an escalating global trade dispute. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said key regional indices were mostly lower as investors navigated uncertainties stemming from potential economic slowdowns. At 5 pm, the FBM KLCI dropped 35.32 points, or 2.32 per cent, to 1,484.83 from Tuesday’s close of 1,520.15. The index recorded close to 10 per cent loss on a year-to-date basis. The market bellwether opened 15.44 points lower at 1,504.71, and fluctuated between 1,478.84 and 1,505.33 throughout the day. On the broader market, decliners thumped advancers 659 to 297, while 469 counters were unchanged, 964 untraded, and seven suspended.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported yesterday that the FBI and Justice Department gather information about bank’s role in transactions at Malaysia fund.
The inquiries are at the information-gathering stage, and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing by the bank, the people said. Investigators “have yet to determine if the matter will become a focus of any investigations into the 1MDB scandal,” a spokeswoman for the FBI said.
The widening scandal—investigators in five countries are now looking into 1MDB—highlights the sometimes risky path that Goldman has cut in emerging markets in search of faster growth.
1MDB is now entangled in accusations of billions of dollars of missing money, putting it at the center of a political crisis for Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who oversees the fund. Malaysian government investigators earlier this year traced $700 million into Mr. Najib’s alleged bank accounts through agencies, banks and companies linked to 1MDB, The Wall Street Journal reported in July. Malaysia’s anticorruption agency later said the funds came from an unspecified Middle East donor.
The government investigation hasn’t detailed what happened to the funds that went into the prime minister’s alleged personal accounts. Transactions around the fund are under investigation by the FBI and Justice Department, as well as authorities in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Switzerland.
1MDB and Mr. Najib didn’t reply to requests for comment. Mr. Najib has denied any wrongdoing or taking money for personal gain. 1MDB has said money was paid out properly to fulfill the fund’s financial obligations and that it would cooperate with any investigations.
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