KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia closed lower on Friday amid mixed regional market performance as investors turned cautious over a possible rate hike by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) and upcoming US economic data that may influence the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) interest rate decision next week. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) pared most earlier losses to settle 4.55 points easier, or 0.28 per cent, to 1,616.52 from Thursday’s close of 1,621.07. The benchmark index, which opened 0.37 of-a-point lower at 1,620.70, moved between 1,609.67 and 1,621.25 throughout the day. The broader market was negative, with decliners outpacing advancers 604 to 439. A total of 550 counters were unchanged, 1,151 untraded, and 18 suspended. Turnover declined to 3.17 billion units worth RM2.24 billion from 4.48 billion units worth RM2.75 billion yesterday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-presiden...
KUALA LUMPUR (March 22): The FBM KLCI fell 6.37 points or 0.4%,tracking Asian share losses after a weaker overnight performance in US stock markets. World equities fell on uncertainties over US President Donald Trump's policies for the US economy.
At 5pm, the KLCI closed at 1,748.3 points after falling to its intraday low at 1,738.4 points. Across Asian share markets, Japan's Nikkei 225 declined 2.13%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.11% while South Korea’s Kospi was 0.46% lower.
In overnight US share trades, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.14%, S&P 500 dropped 1.24% while Nasdaq Composite was 1.83% lower.
Reuters reported that Asian stocks posted their biggest drop in two weeks on Wednesday as growing doubts about Trump's economic growth agenda prompted investors to dump risky assets and rush to safe havens such as gold and government debt.
Wall Street fell sharply on Tuesday as investors worried that Trump will struggle to deliver promised tax cuts that propelled the market to record highs in recent months, with nervousness deepening ahead of a key healthcare vote.
In Malaysia, Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd senior analyst Kenneth Leong told theedgemarkets.com that Trump's policies would be closely watched.
“Moving forward, investors will closely watch whether Trump will fulfill his promises on tax plans and healthcare reform," Leong said. He said investors will also closely watch prices of crude oil, which forms a crucial portion of the Malaysian economy.
Across Bursa Malaysia today, 3.16 billion shares worth RM2.75 billion were traded. Decliners hammered gainers by 605 to 328 respectively.
Yesterday, the trading volume was 4.58 billion shares.
Source: The Edge

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