KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia’s benchmark index closed lower on Thursday amid profit-taking in big-cap stocks, as investors shifted their focus to smaller-cap counters against the backdrop of weaker regional market performance. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 7.26 points or 0.43 per cent to 1,669.57 from Wednesday’s close of 1,676.83. The FBM KLCI opened 2.61 points lower at 1,674.22 and moved between 1,666.34 and 1,674.44 throughout the day. On the broader market, gainers led losers by 579 to 489, while 565 counters were unchanged, 1,016 untraded, and 12 suspended. Turnover was slightly higher at 2.79 billion units worth RM2.84 billion from Wednesday’s 2.73 billion units worth RM2.76 billion.
Just the other day, I got the opportunity to talk to two economists, one from UOB and another from AmInvest and they were pretty happy that the Ringgit has stabilized.
The article written was published on The Edge Financial Daily on April 18, 2016 (Monday) but then, today, reality sets in as the oil price plunged after the failure in negotiation between the Saudis and Iran. Here's the reality: Ringgit is still very much tied with the movement of the oil and as long as the supply and demand of the oil failed to reach its equilibrium, the Ringgit's volatility should persist.
After some good run, the Ringgit fell the most in two weeks as Brent crude plunged after major oil producers failed to come up with an agreement to freeze output and address a supply glut.
The disappointment stemming from the weekend meeting in Doha risks reversing a rally in emerging Asia’s best-performing currency this year as a renewed decline in the commodity puts pressure on the government finances of oil-exporting Malaysia. Brent tumbled 2.7 percent to $41.92 a barrel as Iran appeared to be the main stumbling block to an agreement. Hopes a deal would be reached had spurred gains across world markets in recent days and driven Brent above $44 for the first time in four months.
The ringgit fell 0.6 percent to 3.9265 a dollar in Kuala Lumpur after being down as much as 1.5 percent earlier, according to prices from local banks compiled by Bloomberg. That pared its gain this year to 9.3 percent, trailing only Brazil’s real among emerging markets.
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After some good run, the Ringgit fell the most in two weeks as Brent crude plunged after major oil producers failed to come up with an agreement to freeze output and address a supply glut.
The disappointment stemming from the weekend meeting in Doha risks reversing a rally in emerging Asia’s best-performing currency this year as a renewed decline in the commodity puts pressure on the government finances of oil-exporting Malaysia. Brent tumbled 2.7 percent to $41.92 a barrel as Iran appeared to be the main stumbling block to an agreement. Hopes a deal would be reached had spurred gains across world markets in recent days and driven Brent above $44 for the first time in four months.
The ringgit fell 0.6 percent to 3.9265 a dollar in Kuala Lumpur after being down as much as 1.5 percent earlier, according to prices from local banks compiled by Bloomberg. That pared its gain this year to 9.3 percent, trailing only Brazil’s real among emerging markets.

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