MONEY MASTER

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 30): Bursa Malaysia ended the last trading day of the third quarter of the year on a slight dip, after roller-coaster trading all day long.  At 5pm on Friday (Sept 30), the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slipped 2.87 points or 0.21% to settle at 1,394.63, from Thursday’s close of 1,397.50.    The benchmark index opened 2.21 points easier at 1,395.29 and subsequently moved between 1,390.41 and 1,402.23 throughout the day.      On the broader market, decliners outpaced gainers 462 to 358, while 408 counters were unchanged, 1,155 untraded, and 37 others suspended. Total turnover decreased to 2.08 billion units worth RM1.91 billion, from 2.28 billion units worth RM1.86 billion on Thursday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said the near term market sentiment remains jittery due to unce...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 29):  Bursa Malaysia reversed earlier gains to close in negative territory on Thursday (Sept 29), with the benchmark index falling below the 1,400-psychological mark due to a lack of buying support, said an analyst.    At 5pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slipped 4.39 points or 0.31% to settle at 1,397.5, after opening 5.5 points higher at 1,407.39.  The benchmark index, which opened 5.5 points higher at 1,407.39, moved between 1,395.81 and 1,410.76 throughout the day.      On the broader market, decliners outpaced gainers 499 to 343, while 412 counters were unchanged, 1,147 untraded, and 57 others suspended. Total turnover increased to 2.28 billion units worth RM1.86 billion, from Wednesday’s 2.14 billion units worth RM2.06 billion.    Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng expects investors’...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 28): Bursa Malaysia ended broadly lower on Wednesday (Sept 28), with the benchmark index heading towards the 1,400 psychological level, in tandem with regional markets amid growing concerns about a global recession.   At 5pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slipped 8.98 points or 0.64% to settle at 1,401.89, from Tuesday’s close of 1,410.87.    The benchmark index, which opened 3.55 points easier at 1,407.32, moved between 1,400.41 and 1,409.13 throughout the day.       On the broader market, decliners trounced gainers 644 to 233, while 344 counters were unchanged, 1,177 untraded, and 38 others suspended. Total turnover eased to 2.14 billion units worth RM2.06 billion, from Tuesday’s 2.28 billion units worth RM1.92 billion.    Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said market sentiment in the domestic market has ...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 27): Trading on Bursa Malaysia ended mixed on Tuesday (Sept 27), with the benchmark index declining by 0.15%. At 5pm, the benchmark FBM KLCI settled 2.17 points lower at an intraday low of 1,410.87, from Monday's close at 1,413.04.   The benchmark index, which opened 0.18 of a point easier at 1,412.86, had reached an intraday high of 1,420.27. On the broader market, gainers led decliners 427 to 392, while 406 counters were unchanged, 1,172 untraded, and 20 others suspended. Total turnover increased to 2.28 billion units worth RM1.92 billion from Monday's 2.12 billion units worth RM1.85 billion.   Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said the local bourse remained in cautious mode, but bargain-hunting activities took place, given the attractive valuations at the moment. "The KLCI remains in an oversold position at the present level. In view of the greater volatility, we anticipate the KLCI to trend within...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 26): Bursa Malaysia ended broadly lower on Monday (Sept 26), tracking regional peers amid the weak sentiment globally, said an analyst.  At 5pm, the benchmark FBM KLCI had slipped 11.94 points, or 0.84%, to 1,413.04 from last Friday’s close at 1,424.98.  The benchmark index opened 1.15 points easier at an intraday high of 1,423.83, and reached an intraday low of 1,411.48 in early trading.  On the broader market, decliners hammered gainers 780 to 164, while 321 counters were unchanged, 1,132 untraded, and nine others suspended. Total turnover swelled to 2.12 billion units worth RM1.85 billion, compared with 1.84 billion units worth RM1.57 billion last Friday.  Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said key regional indices closed broadly lower on Monday due to continuing global recession fears. He noted that concern...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 23): Bursa Malaysia ended at an intraday low on Friday (Sept 23), with selling pressure seen across the board on concerns over the global economic outlook amid rising interest rates worldwide, a dealer said. At 5pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slipped 14.18 points, or 0.99%, to 1,424.98 from Thursday's close of 1,439.16. The benchmark index opened 0.05 of a point easier at 1,439.11, hitting a high of 1,440.29 in early trading. On the broader market, decliners thumped gainers 540 to 278, while 378 counters were unchanged, 1,202 untraded, and nine others suspended. Total turnover fell to 1.84 billion units worth RM1.57 billion compared with 2.17 billion units worth RM1.68 billion on Thursday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said regional key indices fell further as rising interest rates across the globe threatened to destabilise economic growth, weighing on risk appetite. The FBM KLCI tr...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 22): Bursa Malaysia ended lower on Thursday (Sept 22), joining the global selldown on equities after the US Federal Reserve (Fed) hiked interest rates to curb rampant inflation. At 5pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slipped 8.02 points, or 0.55%, to 1,439.16 from Wednesday's close of 1,447.18. The benchmark index opened 2.31 points lower at 1,444.87, subsequently moving between 1,435.76 and 1,448.51 throughout the session. On the broader market, decliners led gainers 447 to 372, while 424 counters were unchanged, 1,147 untraded, and nine others suspended. Total turnover fell to 2.17 billion units worth RM1.68 billion compared with 2.34 billion units worth RM1.66 billion on Wednesday. The local bourse extended Wednesday's loss to open lower on Thursday and stayed mostly in negative territory throughout the trading session with the sentiment remaining cautious after the 75-basis-point interest rate hikes by the Fed. Raku...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 21): Bursa Malaysia ended at an intraday low of 1,447.18, with selling pressure seen across the board, said a dealer. At 5pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) declined by 13.92 points compared to Tuesday's close of 1,461.1. The benchmark index opened 1.65 points lower at 1,459.45, hitting a high of 1,459.89 in early trading. On the broader market, losers thumped gainers 530 to 296, while 439 counters were unchanged, 1,125 untraded and nine others suspended. Total turnover rose to 2.34 billion units worth RM1.66 billion compared with 2.12 billion units worth RM1.65 billion on Tuesday. A dealer said the local bourse remained in the red throughout the day, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street as investors were jittery due to concerns over the US Federal Reserve’s (Fed) interest rate decision later on Wednesday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of Equity Research Thong Pak Leng said key regional indices were also on the downtre...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 20): Bursa Malaysia has snapped its four-day losing streak to end in the green, supported by bargain hunting in selected heavyweight stocks, said a dealer. At 5pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose by 9.58 points to 1,461.1 from Monday's close of 1,451.52. The benchmark index opened 2.9 points better at 1,454.42, subsequently moving between 1,454.42 and 1,465.58 throughout the day. On the broader market, advancers led decliners 414 to 385, while 428 counters were unchanged, 1,139 untraded and nine others suspended. Total turnover fell to 2.12 billion units worth RM1.65 billion compared with 2.19 billion units worth RM1.76 billion on Monday. A dealer said the local bourse maintained its positive note throughout the day, buoyed by bargain hunting in selected heavyweights, led by the financial services and telecommunications and media stocks. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of Equity Research Thong Pak Leng said the positiv...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 19): Bursa Malaysia ended sharply lower on Monday (Sept 19), weighed down by persistent selling in heavyweight stocks, in tandem with the weakness in most regional peers. Asian shares took their cue from Wall Street’s losses on Friday amidst concerns about the global economic outlook and monetary policy tightening by central banks around the world, said a dealer. At 5pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell by 15.79 points to 1,451.52 from Thursday's close of 1,467.31. The benchmark index opened 7.8 points lower at 1,459.51, and subsequently moved between 1,446.04 and 1,460.91 throughout the session. On the broader market, losers thumped gainers 706 to 217, while 349 counters were unchanged, 1,101 untraded and 17 others suspended. Total turnover fell to 2.19 billion units worth RM1.76 billion compared with 2.62 billion units worth RM2.67 billion on Thursday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of Equity Research Thong Pak Len...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 15): Bursa Malaysia has reversed its gains earlier to end broadly lower on Thursday (Sept 15) after a lacklustre trading session, as investors seem reluctant to make more significant moves due to the absence of buying catalysts, said an analyst.  At 5pm, the benchmark FBM KLCI eased by 1.13 points to 1,467.31, from Wednesday's close of 1,468.44. The benchmark index opened 4.92 points higher at 1,473.36, subsequently moving between 1,466.33 and 1,478.54 throughout the day. Market breadth was negative with decliners surpassing advancers 415 to 378, while 433 counters were unchanged, 1,125 untraded and 21 others suspended. Total turnover stood at 2.62 billion units worth RM2.67 billion, compared with 2.63 billion units worth RM1.63 billion on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of Equity Research, Thong Pak Leng said key regional indices were mostly higher following the broadly positive cues from Wall Street overnight, supported ...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 14): Bursa Malaysia ended broadly lower for the second consecutive day on Wednesday (Sept 14), dragged down by persistent selling across the board, in tandem with the heavy selldown seen in regional bourses after a tumble on Wall Street overnight. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) dropped 19.40 points or 1.30% to finish at its intraday low of 1,468.44, from Tuesday's close of 1,487.84. The benchmark index, which opened 12.60 points lower at 1,475.24, reached its highest at 1,480.55 in early trade.  Market breadth was negative with decliners thumping advancers 595 to 256, while 387 counters were unchanged, 1,113 untraded, and 13 others suspended. Total turnover was marginally lower at 2.63 billion units worth RM1.63 billion from 2.64 billion units worth RM1.74 billion on Tuesday. UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors Sdn Bhd head of wealth research and advisor Mohd Sedek Jantan said the Malaysian stock market fell after the sell-off on Wal...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 13): Bursa Malaysia snapped its three-day winning streak to end in the red on Tuesday (Sept 13), dragged by profit taking in selected heavyweight counters, particularly banking stocks. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) dropped 10.12 points, or 0.68%, to 1,487.84 from Monday's close of 1,497.96. The benchmark index, which opened 0.56 points lower at 1,497.4, moved between 1,482.38 and 1,497.88 throughout the day. Market breadth was negative with decliners outnumbering advancers 449 to 351, while 449 counters were unchanged, 1,092 untraded, and nine others suspended. Total turnover was marginally higher at 2.64 billion units worth RM1.74 billion from 2.63 billion units worth RM1.55 billion on Monday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of Equity Research Thong Pak Leng said Tuesday's selldown provides more upsides for investors, given the undervalued FBM KLCI. “As such, we expect the benchmark index to trend higher for the rema...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 12): Bursa Malaysia ended marginally higher on Monday (Sept 12), in line with the strong performance of regional bourses as investors’ sentiments continued to improve across the region, an analyst said. At 5pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) edged up 1.43 points to 1,497.96 compared with Friday's close of 1,496.53. The benchmark index opened 1.13 points firmer at 1,497.66 and moved between 1,496.05 and 1,501.87 throughout the day. On the broader market, gainers led decliners 444 to 347, while 410 counters were unchanged, 1,114 untraded and nine others suspended. Total turnover rose to 2.63 billion units worth RM1.55 billion from 2.36 billion units worth RM1.48 billion on Friday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said key regional indices closed higher following the broadly positive cues from global markets on Friday. "Investors took the opportunity to pick up stocks that had taken a se...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 9): Bursa Malaysia closed the trading session higher as market sentiment continues to improve across the region due to recovery in Wall Street, with technology counters leading the gainers, a dealer said. At 5pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 1.8 points, or 0.12%, to 1,496.53 compared with Thursday’s close of 1,494.73. The benchmark index opened 1.02 points firmer at 1,495.75 and moved between 1,493.15 and 1,498.32 throughout the trading session. On the broader market, gainers led decliners 456 to 336, while 407 counters were unchanged, 1,106 untraded and nine others suspended. Total turnover slipped marginally to 2.36 billion units worth RM1.48 billion from 2.39 billion units worth RM1.86 billion on Thursday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said key regional indices closed higher in line with the positive sentiment on Wall Street as the US dollar and Treasury yields came off recen...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 8): Bursa Malaysia closed the trading session higher on Thursday (Sept 8) amid the improved regional market sentiment after a rally on Wall Street overnight, with sustained buying interest seen in selected heavyweight counters led by telecommunication and media stocks, a dealer said. At 5pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) earned 3.38 points, or 0.23%, to 1,494.73 from Wednesday’s close of 1,491.35. The benchmark index opened 0.48 of a point lower at 1,490.87 and moved between 1,486.98 and 1,497.66 throughout the trading session. On the broader market, gainers led decliners 416 to 373, while 450 counters were unchanged, 1,051 untraded, and nine others suspended. Total turnover rose marginally to 2.39 billion units worth RM1.86 billion from 2.36 billion units worth RM1.61 billion on Wednesday. According to Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice president of equity research Thong Pak Leng, regional key indices closed broadly higher after Wall Str...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 7): Bursa Malaysia ended mixed on Wednesday (Sept 7) with the key index rising slightly on bargain-hunting activities led by industrial products and services counters. A downbeat regional performance also weighed on sentiment. At 5pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) added 3.08 points, or 0.21%, to 1,491.35 compared with Tuesday’s close of 1,488.27. The benchmark index opened 2.35 points weaker at 1,485.92 and moved between 1,483.29 and 1,492.19 throughout the trading session. On the broader market, decliners led advancers 477 to 348, while 428 counters were unchanged, 1,021 untraded, and eight others suspended. Total turnover rose to 2.36 billion units worth RM1.61 billion from 2.19 billion units worth RM1.65 billion on Tuesday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice president of equity research Thong Pak Leng reckons that the FBM KLCI would remain steady, supported by the improving fundamentals of the local economy. "Nonetheless, market sen...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 6): Bursa Malaysia erased earlier gains to close marginally lower on Tuesday (Sept 6) at its intraday low due to profit-taking activities, particularly in financial services stocks in the last 10 minutes of trading, a dealer said. At 5pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) trimmed 1.53 points or 0.1% to 1,488.27 from Monday’s close of 1,489.8. The benchmark index opened 2.78 points firmer at 1,492.58 and moved between 1,488.27 and 1,497 throughout the trading session. However, on the broader market, advancers led decliners 470 to 348, while 424 counters were unchanged, 1,032 untraded and seven others suspended. Total turnover expanded to 2.19 billion units worth RM1.65 billion from 2.08 billion units worth RM1.25 billion on Monday. Despite the fall, Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said key regional bourses closed higher after China pledged to make renewed efforts to boost its economy. “Meanwhile...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 5): Bursa Malaysia closed lower on Monday (Sept 5) as investors seemed reluctant to make more significant moves due to the absence of buying catalysts, amid the weaker regional market performance, a dealer said. At 5pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 1.38 points or 0.09% to 1,489.8 from Friday’s close of 1,491.18. The key index opened 0.85 of-a-point better at 1,492.03, and moved between 1,486.79 and 1,494.81 throughout the trading session.  On the broader market, decliners outpaced advancers 499 to 367, while 389 counters were unchanged, 1,031 untraded, and 19 others suspended. Total turnover fell to 2.08 billion units worth RM1.25 billion from 2.18 billion units worth RM1.57 billion last Friday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said the market sentiment remained cautious despite the persistent net inflow from foreign funds which topped RM8.1 billion year-to-date.  "Given the in...

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 2): Bursa Malaysia ended marginally lower after moving cautiously in a tight range ahead of the release of US jobs data later on Friday (Sept 2), and tracking the weakness in most regional peers, said a dealer. At 5pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) shaved off 0.77 of a point to 1,491.18 from Thursday’s close of 1,491.95. The barometer index opened 1.17 points better at 1,493.12, and subsequently moved between 1,489.23 and 1,498.61 throughout the trading session. On the broader market, decliners outpaced advancers 474 to 316, while 420 counters were unchanged, 1,079 untraded, and 32 others suspended. Total turnover fell to 2.18 billion units worth RM1.57 billion from 2.44 billion units worth RM2.02 billion on Thursday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said the FBM KLCI closed in the negative territory after a roller coaster trading session. Regionally, key indices ended broadly lower as invest...