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Iran Warns Oil Could Hit US$200 as Strait of Hormuz Remains Blocked

Iran has warned global markets to prepare for oil at  US$200 per barrel , escalating rhetoric as attacks intensify and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively frozen. While oil prices have retreated from recent highs near US$120, Tehran’s message underscores the growing risk of a prolonged energy shock. Key Takeaways Iran warns oil could surge to US$200 per barrel Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, disrupting 20% of global oil flows 14 merchant ships reportedly struck since conflict began IEA expected to propose record 400 million-barrel reserve release Markets currently betting conflict may be contained Oil Market on Edge Iran’s military command said oil prices depend on regional security — warning the world to prepare for US$200 crude if instability persists. The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow chokepoint along Iran’s coast, normally handles: About 20% of global oil shipments A significant share of global LNG trade So far: At least 14 ships have reportedly been struck...
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Market Daily Report: KLCI climbs for five straight days, ends week at above 1,650 level

  KUALA LUMPUR (May 31): The FBM KLCI has been on an upward trend for the fifth consecutive day today, bucking regional trend as sentiment improves over certain better-than-expected corporate earnings. In addition, some foreign stockbroking houses have upgraded Malaysian stock market. At market close, the benchmark index climbed 14.26 points or 0.87% to close at its intra-day high of 1,650.76 points. For the week, the benchmark index has gained 52 points, or 3.28%. When contacted, CIMB Research analyst Nick Foo Mun Pang told theedgemarkets.com that Malaysian market was oversold at below 1,600 points last week, and it was staging a rebound this week.    "The KLCI went up by 52 points (3.28%) week-on-week, sentiment has improved after foreign research houses like HSBC and UBS upgraded Malaysian market," he said. "Next week will be a holiday-shortened week, we believe KLCI would be range bound around 1,650 points as we expect the market to hav...
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Market Daily Report: KLCI up 0.79%, led by Petronas Gas as fund managers window dress

KUALA LUMPUR (May 30): The FBM KLCI finished 12.83 points or 0.79% higher today, led by Petronas Gas Bhd's share price gain and amid fund managers' month-end window dressing. Fund managers said Malaysia's share market performance today had also taken cue from the current corporate financial reporting season, during which companies such as Tenaga Nasional Bhd and Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) reported quarterly results, which had beaten market estimates. At 5pm, the KLCI settled at 1,636.50 after rising to its intraday high at 1,639.42. Petronas Gas closed up 74 sen or 4.4% at RM17.56 to become the largest-percentage gainer among the 30 KLCI stocks, which included Tenaga. Areca Capital Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Danny Wong Teck Meng told theedgemarkets.com that "analysts may review their calls on Tenaga and TM shares following the release of their upbeat earnings". Earlier today, TA Securities Holdings Bhd wrote in a note that while ...
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Market Daily Report: KLCI gains 9.1 points as HSBC, UBS upgrades seen bolstering sentiment

KUALA LUMPUR (May 29): The FBM KLCI closed up 9.1 points or 0.56% today, led by Tenaga Nasional Bhd's share price rise and amid apparent optimism on the defensive nature of Malaysian stocks after HSBC and UBS upgraded their calls on local equities amid global trade war concerns. At 5pm, the KLCI closed at 1,623.67 while Tenaga rose 66 sen or 5.66% to RM12.32 to become the top percentage gainer among the KLCI's 30 stocks. The KLCI exended gains today after yesterday's 13.22-point rise. CNBC reported today that Swiss financial giant UBS said today it upgraded Malaysian stocks to “overweight” from “neutral.” It was reported that HSBC had yesterday raised its recommendation on Malaysian equities to “neutral” from “underweight." Today, Adrian Zuercher, head of asset allocation for Asia-Pacific at UBS Chief Investment Office Wealth Management, was quoted as telling CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that “we’re looking for defensive markets, safety. And I think ...
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Market Daily Report: KLCI up 13.22 points as Bursa share-trade value swells to RM4.52 bil

KUALA LUMPUR (May 28): The FBM KLCI closed 13.22 points or 0.83% higher today at its intraday high, driven by bargain hunting and as world markets took cue from China share gains. At 5pm, the KLCI closed at 1,614.57 as share-trade value across Bursa Malaysia swelled to RM4.52 billion after 2.4 billion shares changed hands. Yesterday, share trade value and volume stood at RM1.29 billion and 1.6 billion shares respectively. Today, Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd head of research Victor Wan told theedgemarkets.com: "KLCI advanced today mainly led by bargain hunting and we also reckon that the foreign selling flow of Malaysian equities was showing a muted response.” Bursa Malaysia top gainers included Nestle (M) Bhd, Public Bank Bhd and Tenaga Nasional Bhd. Top decliners included Hong Leong Bank Bhd, AEON Credit Service (M) Bhd and Tong Herr Resources Bhd. Across Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 closed up 0.37% while South Korea's Kospi climbed 0.23%. In China,...
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Market Daily Report: FBM KLCI posts first gain after three sessions of decline

KUALA LUMPUR (May 27): The FBM KLCI closed up 3.03 points or 0.19% today on bargain hunting amid a volatile market as persistent US-China trade war concerns led to a lack of clarity on global economic growth prospects. Analysts said such sentiment appeared to have sidelined investors as share trade volume and value across Bursa Malaysia ended lower. At 5pm, the KLCI closed at 1,601.35 points, for its first gain after three sessions of decline during holiday-shortened trading last week. Today, the KLCI closed up on bargain hunting after falling to its intraday low at 1,597.25. Across Bursa Malaysia, 1.6 billion shares worth RM1.29 billion were traded today. On Friday, trade volume stood at 1.89 billion shares worth RM1.55 billion.    Today, Public Investment Bank Bhd research head Ching Weng Jin said: "There is still a lack of clarity over global growth prospects as well as the situation with the US-China trade war. “The US has been saying that ...
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Market Daily Report: KLCI ends lower as oil prices tumble

KUALA LUMPUR (May 24): After a volatile trading session, the FBM KLCI sank into negative territory at the eleventh hour, ending the day down 3.55 points or 0.22% at 1,598.32. The key index closed lower for the third straight session, dragged by selected heavyweights such as Nestle (Malaysia) Bhd, Sime Darby Plantation Bhd and Petronas Dagangan Bhd, said Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd senior analyst Kenneth Leong. He told theedgemarkets.com that oil and gas stocks such as Petronas Dagangan and Dialog Group Bhd had been affected by the weakness in the price of Brent crude oil, which has fallen below the US$70 per barrel psychological mark. Brent crude was trading at US$68.59 at the time of writing. On the broader market, a total of 408 stocks closed in the red today versus 328 stocks that recorded gains. Some 1.89 billion shares changed hands for a total of RM1.55 billion.   The most actively traded stocks were Vortex Consolidated Bhd, Lambo Group Bhd and ...
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Market Daily Report: KLCI weighed down by banking, plantations, oil and gas stocks

KUALA LUMPUR (May 23): In line with major regional indexes, the FBM KLCI declined today, falling 1.87 points to close at 1,601.87 points. The drop in the benchmark index was led by Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd, RHB Bank Bhd and AMMB Holdings Bhd. Commodity prices remain under pressure from an expected escalation in the trade war, which could impact future demand, said Mohd Redza Abdul Rahman, head of research at MIDF. "Oil price hovers around US$70 per barrel for Brent and the palm oil price is still trading below RM2,000 per metric tonne as the ringgit continues to depreciate, currently at 4.1940 against the US dollar. This was made worse by poorer-than-expected results of companies such as IOI Corp Bhd," he told theedgemarkets.com . Market breadth was negative by over three times on Bursa Malaysia today as 644 counters declined while only 177 stocks recorded gains.    The most actively traded stocks were Vortex Consolidated Bhd, Sapura Energy ...
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Market Daily Report: KLCI erases gains to end 1.6pts lower as trade tensions weigh

KUALA LUMPUR (May 21): The FBM KLCI erased gains in the second half of trading today as trade tensions between the US and China weighed on investor sentiment. The key market barometer closed at 1,603.74, down 1.62 points or 0.1%. "(In the broader market,) the technology sector suffered the worst decline, with the Bursa Malaysia Technology Index falling 3.5%," said Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd senior analyst Kenneth Leong. Leong advised investors to keep an eye out for corporate earnings being released towards the end of the month, although the research house does not expect a significant change in market from the earnings releases.    Market breadth was negative as 558 stocks closed in the red, more than two times the number of gainers, at 203. Trading activity was muted as the day was sandwiched between two public holidays. Some 1.8 billion shares valued at RM1.46 billion changed hands. Bursa was closed yesterday for the Wesak Day holiday an...
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Market Daily Report: FBM KLCI rebounds on local fund buying support

KUALA LUMPUR (May 17): The FBM KLCI closed 6.17 points or 0.39% higher today at 1,605.36 on buying support from local funds and after Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) announced on Thursday its market liquidity and accessibility enhancement initiatives. Today, analysts said the KLCI had also risen on account of US shares' Thursday overnight rise. Today, TA Securities Holdings Bhd senior technical analyst Steven Soo said the KLCI's rise is due to the overnight recovery in US shares and also an oversold Malaysian stock market. “Furthermore BNM came out with measures to boost liquidity, so all of these factors combined were seen boosting the domestic market,” Soo said. The KLCI rebounded today to close up at 1,605.36 after falling 12.24 points On Thursday. Today, the KLCI jumped to its intraday high at 1,610.96 before paring gains at the 5pm market close. The KLCI pared gains after Asian stock indices ended lower as China-US trade war concerns continued to hit ...
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Market Daily Report: KLCI plunges as Huawei sanctions seen escalating trade war

KUALA LUMPUR (May 16): The FBM KLCI closed down 12.24 points or 0.76% today after news on US sanctions on China-based telecommunication group Huawei Technologies Co Ltd led to anticipation of escalation in the China-US trade war. The ringgit strengthened sharply after annoucements on Malaysia's first quarter 2019 (1Q19) economic growth numbers and the central bank's initiatives to enhance market liquidity and accessibility. At 5pm today, the KLCI closed at 1,599.19, its intraday low, after plunging in the final trading minutes. At a glance, the KLCI plunged after 11th-hour selling in shares of KLCI stocks including Nestle (M) Bhd. According to Areca Capital Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Danny Wong, the current volatility is here to stay until there is a concrete resolution in the trade war between the US and China. Wong said that currently, external headwinds are at play. “The trade war is still there, you never know how it will develop...
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Market Daily Report: KLCI ends with mild drop after rebounding 27 points from day's low at 1,572.03

KUALA LUMPUR (May 14): The FBM KLCI erased 11th-hour gains today to close 1.9 points or 0.12% lower as investors evaluated the impact of the China-US trade tension on world markets. At 5pm, the KLCI closed at 1,599.19 after rising to its intraday high at 1,603.72 during the final trading hour. Earlier today, the KLCI fell as much as 29.06 points or 1.82% to its intraday low at 1,572.03 shortly after the 9am opening bell. At the 5pm closing figure of 1,599.19, the KLCI had rebounded 27.16 points from its intraday low. Hartalega Holdings Bhd and Top Glove Corp Bhd share gains led the KLCI's recovery, in percentage terms, among the 30 components stocks while Sime Darby Plantation Bhd was the top decliner. Sime Darby Plantation closed down 23 sen or 4.68% at RM4.68 while Hartalega rose 16 sen or 3.31% to RM4.99. “Despite the KLCI recovering most of the intraday losses, the key index remained in the red for the fifth straight session in line with the negative...
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Market Daily Report: KLCI cuts losses after slumping below 1,600 points as trade tension hurts sentiment

KUALA LUMPUR (May 13): The FBM KLCI closed 9.18 points or 0.57% lower today at 1,601.09 after slumping below 1,600 as the China-US trade war escalation hurt world market sentiments. Bursa Malaysia small market capitalisation (small-cap) stocks fell by a larger quantum while the ringgit weakened as global institutional investors sold Malaysian equities. At 5pm, the KLCI cut losses to close at 1,601.09 after falling to its intraday low at 1,598.6. Bursa Malaysia's small-cap index closed down 326.31 points or 2.49% at 12,762.25. Globally, Reuters reported that US stock futures and Asian shares fell on Monday on growing anxiety over whether the US and China will be able to salvage a trade deal, after Washington sharply hiked tariffs and Beijing vowed to retaliate. It was reported that the US and China appeared at a deadlock over trade negotiations on Sunday as Washington demanded promises of concrete changes to Chinese law and Beijing said it would not swall...
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Market Daily Report: KLCI plunges to intraday low as US tariff hike on China goods takes effect

KUALA LUMPUR (May 10): The FBM KLCI closed down 8.26 points or 0.51% today at its intraday low as the tariff hike to 25% from 10% on US$200 billion worth of US-bound cargoes leaving China was announced. At Bursa Malaysia, the KLCI ended lower at 1,610.27 after plunging in the final trading minutes although China equities erased intraday losses to close higher. In China, the Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite ended up 3.1% at its intraday high while Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.84%. Elsewhere across Asia, South Korea's Kospi also erased losses to close up 0.29% while Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.27% after cutting losses. Reuters wrote that global stocks made gains on Friday as investors held out hopes for a trade deal between the US and China, even as another round of US tariffs on Chinese goods took effect. It was reported that European stock markets bounced off six-week lows, with Germany's trade-sensitive DAX index leading the charge with a 1%...
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Market Daily Report: KLCI dips 15.02 points as US tariff threat to China looms

KUALA LUMPUR (May 9): The FBM KLCI dipped 15.02 points or 0.92% today as global markets took caution ahead of the next round of China-US trade talks. The talks are closely watched as a means to avert a planned US tariff hike on Chinese goods on Friday. At Bursa Malaysia today, the KLCI ended at 1,618.53. In China, the Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite ended 1.48% lower while Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 2.39%. Elsewhere across Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 closed down 0.93% while South Korea's Kospi fell 3.04%. US stock futures also fell. At 5:37pm, the Dow and Nasdaq futures dropped 0.8% and  0.93% respectively. At 5:38pm, S&P futures fell 0.79%. Reuters reported that Asian shares fell to eight-week lows on Thursday as investors waited to see whether Chinese and US trade negotiators can salvage a deal to stave off the threat of fresh US tariff increases, which would damage global economic growth. It was reported that Chinese Vice Premier Liu...
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Market Daily Report: KLCI falls as trade war fears heighten

KUALA LUMPUR (May 8): The FBM KLCI fell 0.35% today in tandem with the downtrend in Asian markets amid continued fears of a breakdown in US-China trade negotiations. The benchmark index ended 5.82 points lower at 1,633.55. Bursa Malaysia's other indices were also in the red save for the telecommunications and real estate investment trust indices. A total of 2.47 billion shares worth RM2.06 billion were traded. TA Securities technical analyst Steven Soo said trading was quite choppy as the market remained jittery due to the US-China trade deal sentiments.    "This Friday is the deadline. In terms of trading, there will be squaring off on short-term trades pending more solid cues on the US-China situation. Given the time difference, Malaysia would know by Saturday. So expect things to be clearer next week for us," he said. In the meantime, Soo said the market is expected to remain weak for the rest of the week. Reuters reported that invest...
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Market Daily Report: KLCI up, ringgit weakens after BNM rate cut

KUALA LUMPUR (May 7): The FBM KLCI closed 6.57 points or 0.4% higher today, led by share gains in Axiata Group Bhd and Digi.Com Bhd. Financial services providers' shares fell while the ringgit weakened after Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) cut the overnight policy rate (OPR) to 3% from 3.25%. At 5pm, the KLCI closed at 1,639.37. Axiata ended 60 sen or 14.85% higher at RM4.64 while Digi.Com rose 28 sen or 6.2% to RM4.80 to become the top and second-largest percentage gainers respectively among the 30 KLCI stocks. Axiata and Digi.Com shares rose following news on the proposed merger of Axiata and Telenor Group's Asian operations within their Asean and South Asian markets. Telenor is Digi.Com's major shareholder. Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd senior analyst Kenneth Leong told theedgemarkets.com "the boost (in the KLCI) followed news on the proposed merger between Axiata and Norway-based Telenor." "BNM's interest rate cut al...
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Market Daily Report: FBM KLCI falls with Asian markets after Trump’s tariff threat

KUALA LUMPUR (May 6): The FBM KLCI closed 4.5 points or 0.27% lower amid weaker Asian stock markets after US President Donald Trump threatened to raise US tariffs on Chinese goods. At 5pm, the KLCI closed at 1,632.8 after falling to its intraday low at 1,623.61. Across Bursa Malaysia, 2.79 billion shares worth RM1.7 billion were traded as decliners outdid gainers by a stark 684 to 162. In China, the Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite closed down 5.58% while Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 2.9%. Elsewhere across Asia, South Korea and Japan markets were closed today for public holidays. US stock futures were also lower. At 5:39pm, the S&P and Dow futures fell 1.79% and 1.91% respectively while Nasdaq futures dropped 2.28%.    Reuters reported today that Trump stunned global markets with a tweet late on Sunday announcing he would hike US tariffs on US$200 billion worth of Chinese goods this week and target hundreds of billions more soon, saying trad...
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Market Daily Report: KLCI rises on Axiata gain as Ekovest tops construction gauge

KUALA LUMPUR (May 3): The FBM KLCI today closed 5.06 points or 0.31% higher led by gains in telecommunication stocks Axiata Group Bhd and Digi.Com Bhd. Ekovest Bhd topped Bursa Malaysia's construction index gainers. At 5pm, the KLCI closed up at 1,637.30 after falling to its intraday low at 1,625.56. Axiata closed up nine sen or 2.28% at RM4.04 while Digi.Com rose eight sen or 1.8% to RM4.52 to become the top percentage gainers among the 30 KLCI stocks. Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd senior analyst Kenneth Leong told theedgemarkets.com that the KLCI advanced, led by bargain hunting in Axiata and Digi.Com shares. “Both companies contributed close to two points to KLCI's gain today,” said Leong. Across Bursa Malaysia, 2.82 billion shares worth RM2.11 billion were traded. Top-active stock Ekovest saw some 214 million shares traded after closing up 13 sen or 15.76% at 95.5 sen. Ekovest's sister company Iskandar Waterfront City Bhd (IWCity) saw som...
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Market Daily Report: KLCI tumbles 10.05 points as weaker ringgit dampens sentiment

KUALA LUMPUR (May 2): The FBM KLCI had today closed 10.05 points or 0.61% lower while Bursa Malaysia's small market capitalisation (small cap) index fell by a larger quantum as investors took cue from less-optimistic views on local financial markets and the ringgit and after US stocks fell overnight on Wednesday. At 5pm today, the KLCI closed at 1,632.24 while the small cap index fell 173.72 points or 1.27% to 13,447.39. Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd senior analyst Kenneth Leong said today investors might have take cue from market views, including one from DBS Bank Ltd which wrote in a note on Tuesday (April 30) that it had changed its view on Malaysian Government Securities (MGS) from bullish to neutral. "MGS valuations are no longer cheap and risks around performance have risen. Technicals could be less supportive ahead. Risks and uncertainties around FTSE Russell’s September review is clouding the outlook; MGS and MYR (ringgit) could trade more vola...
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