The Bank of Russia unexpectedly maintained its key interest rate at a record-high 21% , defying analysts’ expectations of another significant hike as inflation remains stubbornly elevated. The decision marks a shift toward a more measured approach in balancing economic growth and price stability. Key Details Inflation Concerns: Annual inflation climbed to 8.9% in November, well above the central bank’s 4% target , with inflation expectations reaching 13.9% in December. Policy Rationale: The central bank cited the significant tightening of monetary conditions after October’s 200-basis point hike as sufficient to resume disinflationary processes. Governor Elvira Nabiullina emphasized avoiding both economic overheating and severe slowdowns. Economic Overheating: Elevated government spending on the war in Ukraine and social programs, coupled with labor shortages and rising wages, have fueled strong domestic demand, exacerbating price pressures...
KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 22): The FBM KLCI gained 4.32 points or 0.2% after the index erased losses in tandem with Asian shares. Reuters reported that Asian shares remained resilient despite the pullback in US shares after the the US government was forced to shut down as investors saw limited economic fallout from the standoff in the US capital.
"After all, people know this is just a political show. Neither Republicans nor Democrats can afford to keep dragging their feet for long ahead of mid-term elections this year," Masashi Murata, senior currency strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman was quoted as saying in Tokyo.
At Bursa Malaysia, the KLCI closed at 1,833.15 points at 5pm after falling to its intraday low of 1,825.86 points.
Across Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.03% while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng climbed 0.43% after both indices erased intraday losses.
In Malaysia, Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice president of research Vincent Lau told theedgemarkets.com that he believed the continuation of the stock market rally "has legs to run" until the country's 14th general election, which must be held by August 2018.
Today, Lau also noted that foreign fund flows into Malaysian shares are still strong although the level seemed to have gradually decreased in recent weeks. "Year-to-date, foreign investors are still net buyers," he said.
Across Bursa Malaysia today, trading volume was 4.62 billion shares worth RM2.87 billion. The most-active stock was Sumatec Resources Bhd which saw some 566 million shares traded. Sumatec shares rose one sen to 11.5 sen.
Source: The Edge
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