US markets extended losses as rising oil prices and a sharp sell-off in tech stocks weighed on sentiment , overshadowing dovish signals from the Federal Reserve. Key Market Moves S&P 500 fell 0.4% to 6,343.72 Nasdaq dropped 0.7% to 20,794.64 Dow Jones rose 0.1% to 45,216.14 Key takeaway: Tech weakness and oil-driven inflation fears are dragging the broader market lower. What’s Driving the Sell-Off? 1. Oil Prices Surge Again Crude oil jumped over 5% to around US$105 Driven by ongoing US–Iran–Israel conflict Higher oil = higher inflation risk = pressure on equities 2. Tech Stocks Lead the Decline Heavy losses in AI, chip, and data-related names: Applied Digital : -13.5% AXT Inc : -13% Micron Technology : -9.9% Arm Holdings : -5% Intel : -4.5% Super Micro Computer : -4.1% AI and semiconductor stocks are facing profit-taking and valuation concerns 3. Fed Comments Not Enough to Lift Sentiment Jerome Powell signaled no immediate rate hikes despite rising energy pri...
KUALA LUMPUR (March 30): The FBM KLCI closed up 7.11 points or 0.4% on what appeared to be institutional investors' window-dressing activities at the end of 2018’s first quarter.
At 5pm today, the KLCI closed at 1,863.46. Across Bursa Malaysia, 1.82 billion shares were traded for RM1.9 billion.
“Most government-linked companies seem to be the ones being traded higher, which could be due to window dressing,” Hong Leong Investment Bank Bhd head of retail research Loui Low told theedgemarkets.com.
He said sentiment across Bursa Malaysia seemed subdued as the total volume of shares traded remained below the two billion mark. Yesterday's share trade volume was about 1.88 billion shares.
Today, Bursa Malaysia top gainers included KLCI-linked stocks Nestle (M) Bhd and Petronas Dagangan Bhd. The most-actively traded stocks included Sapura Energy Bhd, PUC Bhd and SKH Consortium Bhd.
Across Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 1.4% while South Korea's Kospi climbed 0.39%. Hong Kong markets were closed for the Good Friday holiday today (March 30) and will remain closed on Monday (April 2) for the Easter Monday break.
In Japan today, stocks finished a weak first quarter on a positive note, with index heavyweight stocks rising and technology firms jumping in sympathy with a rebound in their US counterparts, Reuters reported.
Reuters added that Wall Street surged on Thursday, bringing an upbeat end to a tumultuous, holiday-shortened week as technology stocks rebounded, but the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted their biggest quarterly declines in more than two years. US markets will be closed on Friday (March 30) for Good Friday.
Source: The Edge
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