KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia closed almost flat on Tuesday as buying interest rotated away from index heavyweights towards smaller-cap construction stocks, with sentiment affected by geopolitical uncertainty, said an analyst. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 0.39 of a point to 1,714.40 from Monday’s close of 1,714.79. The benchmark index opened 1.65 points lower at 1,713.14 and moved between 1,710.44 and 1,714.50 throughout the trading session. The broader market was almost evenly balanced, with decliners leading gainers 548 to 546, while 598 counters were unchanged, 1,107 were untraded and 25 were suspended. Turnover expanded to 4.13 billion units valued at RM3.14 billion from 3.60 billion units valued at RM2.45 billion on Monday.
KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 10): The FBM KLCI closed 0.17 point lower at 1,777.77 points as the US-North Korea geopolitical tension and speculation on Malaysia's 14th General Election's (GE14) timing turned investors cautious.
The cautious sentiment was apparent across Bursa Malaysia where decliners significantly outpaced gainers at 585 to 248 respectively. The bourse saw a volume of 1.35 billion shares valued at RM1.5 billion.
“Investors could also be waiting for the release of upcoming financial results before making decisions,” Hong Leong Investment Bank Bhd retail research head Loui Low said.
He said the trade volume across Bursa Malaysia at 1.35 billion shares today was "quite thin" as Malaysia's GE14 theme took centre stage in local markets. The nation held its GE13 on May 5, 2013.
Today, cautious sentiment was reflected across Asia as stocks fell on the US-North Korea geopolitical tension. Japan's Nikkei 225 dropped 0.05%, South Korea's Kospi fell 0.38% while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down 1.13%.
Reuters reported that Asian stocks turned lower on Thursday as investors fretted about the simmering tensions between the US and North Korea, sending Seoul shares skidding to two-month lows even as the previous day's rush into safe-haven assets appeared to slow.
Source: The Edge
Comments
Post a Comment