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KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 30): Bursa Malaysia ended mixed, with the local benchmark index hitting an intraday low at the close on Wednesday, driven by late profit-taking from selected telecommunications and media counters.  At 5pm, the FBM KLCI had fallen 2.50 points to 1,451.94, from 1,454.44 at Tuesday’s close. The barometer index opened 1.79 points firmer at 1,456.23, and moved slightly up to 1,462.80 during the day, before the decline. On the broader market, gainers and decliners were equal at 499, 423 counters were unchanged, 957 were untraded, and 70 others were suspended. Bursa and its subsidiaries will be closed on Thursday for National Day, and will resume operations on Friday. Turnover advanced to 4.90 billion units worth RM4.75 billion, against Tuesday’s 4.02 billion units worth RM2.85 billion. Axiata Group Bhd and CelcomDigi Bhd were the top two contributors towards the local benchmark index’s downtrend. Axiata lost 22 sen to R...

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 29): Bursa Malaysia rebounded from Monday’s loss to close higher on Tuesday, amid a regional market performance lifted by hopes for more stimulus measures from China. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 10.38 points to 1,454.44 from 1,444.06 at Monday's close. The barometer index opened 0.59 of a point lower at 1,443.47 and moved between 1,441.52 and 1,455.8 throughout the day.  On the broader market, gainers outpaced decliners 535 to 505, while 388 counters were unchanged, 951 untraded and 71 others suspended. Turnover decreased to 4.02 billion units worth RM2.85 billion against Monday’s 4.46 billion units worth RM2.84 billion.  SPI Asset Management managing partner Stephen Innes said the KLCI experienced a decent uptick on Tuesday, ahead of a week of important economic data from the US. Key US economic readings this week could provide further clarity on the US Federal Reserve's (Fed) decision on interest rates.  “Notably, the ...

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 28): Bursa Malaysia’s key index ended slightly lower while the broader market was firmer on Monday (Aug 28) on lack of buying interest as investors shifted their focus on small- and mid-cap stocks, said a trader.  Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said, however, Malaysian equities ended higher with buying interests mainly on property and construction stocks. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 0.35 of a point to 1,444.06 from 1,444.41 at last Friday’s (Aug 25) close. The barometer index opened 0.74 of a point lower at 1,443.67 and moved in a tighter range between 1,441.78 and 1,445.31 throughout the day.   However, the broader market was positive with advancers outpacing decliners 573 to 477, while 387 counters were unchanged, 955 untraded and 23 others suspended. Turnover increased to 4.46 billion units worth RM2.84 billion against Friday’s 3.72 billion units wo...

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 25): Bursa Malaysia ended the week lower, in tandem with most regional markets, ahead of a speech from US Federal Reserve (Fed) chair Jerome Powell at the Jackson Hole Symposium later on Friday (Aug 25). At 5pm, the FBM KLCI had shaved 0.26 of a point to 1,444.41, from 1,444.67 at Thursday's close. The barometer index opened 0.46 point weaker at 1,444.21, and moved between 1,438.51 and 1,445.93 throughout the day. On the broader market, decliners outpaced gainers 547 to 395, while 411 counters were unchanged, 1,021 untraded, and 23 others suspended. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the KLCI pared losses at the close due to late buying, but the benchmark index still ended in the red amid the regional selldown. "Key regional indices trended lower, following a negative performance on Wall Str...

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 24): Bursa Malaysia ended marginally higher on Thursday (Aug 24) with the key index rising 0.32% on bargain hunting, in sync with the upbeat regional market performance as foreign funds return to the region. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 4.56 points to 1,444.67 from 1,440.11 at Wednesday's (Aug 23) close. The barometer index opened 1.41 points better at 1,441.52, its intraday low, and moved to an intraday high of 1,446.75 just minutes before trading ended. On the broader market, gainers outpaced losers 500 to 421, while 416 counters were unchanged, 1,014 untraded and 30 others suspended. Turnover increased to 3.53 billion units worth RM1.91 billion from Wednesday's 3.23 billion units worth RM1.97 billion.  Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the key regional indices were also in positive territory following the upbeat mode on Wall Street overnight and the return of foreign funds to the ...

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 23): Bursa Malaysia ended broadly lower on Wednesday (Aug 23), with the key index dipping by 0.79% amid brisk selling activities in index-linked stocks led by Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd and Public Bank Bhd.  At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slipped 11.42 points to 1,440.11 from 1,451.53 at Tuesday's (Aug 22) close. The barometer index opened 0.1 of a point better at 1,451.63, and moved between 1,439.13 and 1,451.72 throughout the trading day. On the broader market, losers beat gainers 466 to 379 while 489 counters were unchanged, 1,018 untraded and 12 others suspended. Turnover eased to 3.23 billion units worth RM1.97 billion from 3.31 billion units worth RM1.93 billion on Tuesday.    SPI Asset Management managing partner Stephen Innes said the weakness in the local bourse was weighed down mainly on the China factor, as investors remain concerned about the regional economic growth, as “when China sneezes, Asean markets tend to ...

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 22): Bursa Malaysia ended trading mixed on Tuesday (Aug 22) on lack of buying momentum. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) edged up 0.96 of a point to 1,451.53, from 1,450.57 at Monday's (Aug 21) close, after opening 0.3 of a point better at 1,450.87.  The KLCI moved between 1,449.19 and 1,456.40 throughout the trading day. On the broader market, losers surpassed gainers 490 to 432 while 426 counters were unchanged, 1,005 untraded and 13 others suspended. Turnover stood at 3.31 billion units worth RM1.93 billion from Monday's 3.31 billion units worth RM2.24 billion.   Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the KLCI ended marginally higher on Tuesday in tandem with the positive performance across the region, with strong buying in technology and energy-related stocks.  "On the domestic front, we believe the market undertone will remain steady due to improving investor sentiment and reckon the index ...

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 18): Bursa Malaysia extended Thursday's (Aug 17) losses to close slightly lower on Friday on continued profit-taking from selected financial services as well as industrial products and services counters, in line with the weaker sentiment on regional bourses. At 5pm, the FBM KLCI had slipped 1.89 points to 1,446.09, from 1,447.98 at Thursday’s close. The barometer index opened 1.25 points better at 1,449.23, its intraday high, and hit a low of 1,442.26 in the mid-afternoon session. On the broader market, decliners overwhelmed gainers 552 to 380, while 435 counters were unchanged, 981 untraded, and 29 others suspended. Turnover declined to 3.19 billion units worth RM2.12 billion, from 4.34 billion units worth RM2.56 billion on Thursday. CIMB Group Holdings Bhd and Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Bhd were the top two contributors to the local benchmark index’s losses, with a combined contribution of 2.93 points. The b...

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 17): Persistent profit-taking from selected plantation and financial services counters resulted in Bursa Malaysia ending at an intraday low on Thursday (Aug 17), amid mixed sentiments on regional stock markets. At 5pm, the FBM KLCI had slipped 15.53 points to 1,447.98, from 1,463.51 at Wednesday’s close. The barometer index opened 2.90 points easier at 1,460.61, and moved slightly up to a high of 1,460.76 during the day. On the broader market, decliners overwhelmed gainers 607 to 355, while 429 counters were unchanged, 949 untraded, and 16 others suspended. Turnover widened to 4.34 billion units worth RM2.56 billion, from 3.62 billion units worth RM2.21 billion on Wednesday. Sime Darby Plantation Bhd and CIMB Group Holdings Bhd were the top two contributors towards the benchmark index’s downtrend, with a combined contribution of 3.77 points. The plantation giant lost 14 sen to RM4.31, while the banking group erased nine sen to close at RM5...

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 16): Late buying in selected utilities and financial services counters pushed Bursa Malaysia back into positive territory at the close on Wednesday (Aug 16)amid weaker sentiments on the regional stock markets. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 3.23 points to 1,463.51 from 1,460.28 at Tuesday’s (Aug 15) close. The barometer index opened 1.25 points easier at 1,459.03 and moved between 1,458.37 and 1,464.27 throughout the day. On the broader market, gainers overwhelmed decliners 496 to 468 while 446 counters were unchanged, 931 untraded and 14 others suspended. Turnover narrowed to 3.62 billion units worth RM2.21 billion from 3.87 billion units worth RM2.12 billion on Tuesday (Aug 15). Tenaga Nasional Bhd and CIMB Group Holdings Bhd were the top two contributors towards the local benchmark index’s performance, rising 10 sen and five sen to RM9.99 and RM5.73 respectively, with a combined contribution of 1.83 points.  A dealer said Asian ...

  KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 15): Bursa Malaysia maintained its positive momentum to close higher on Tuesday (Aug 15), supported by persistent buying in selected financial services and utilities counters amid mixed sentiments on the regional stock markets. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 3.28 points to 1,460.28 from 1,457 at Monday’s (Aug 14) close. The barometer index opened 0.14 of a point easier at 1,456.86 and moved between 1,456.27 and 1,463.29 throughout the day. On the broader market, gainers overwhelmed decliners 603 to 369 while 402 counters were unchanged, 966 untraded and 13 others suspended. Turnover improved to 3.87 billion units worth RM2.12 billion from 3.53 billion units worth RM1.89 billion on Monday. Public Bank Bhd and Tenaga Nasional Bhd were the top two contributors towards the local benchmark index uptrend, rising six sen and nine sen to RM4.21 and RM9.89 respectively, with a combined contribution of 2.77 points.  Rakuten Tra...

  KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 14): Bursa Malaysia reversed most of its earlier losses to end mixed on Monday (Aug 14) on late buying of selected financial services, telecommunications and media counters, amid weak sentiments on regional stock markets. At 5pm, the FBM KLCI had eased 0.16 of a point to 1,457.0, from 1,457.16 at last Friday’s close. The barometer index opened 0.03 of a point higher at 1,457.19, and moved between 1,452.15 and 1,457.43 throughout the day. On the broader market, gainers overwhelmed decliners 575 to 404, while 378 counters were unchanged, 972 untraded, and 13 others suspended. Turnover improved to 3.53 billion units worth RM1.89 billion, from 2.94 billion units worth RM1.86 billion last Friday.

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 11): Bursa Malaysia pared most of its earlier losses to end mixed on Friday (Aug 11) on late buying, with bargain-hunting dominating the broader market throughout the day ahead of the state elections. At 5pm, the FBM KLCI had eased 1.77 points to 1,457.16, from 1,458.93 at Thursday’s close. The barometer index opened 0.46 of a point lower at 1,458.47, and hit a low of 1,449.67 during the early morning session. It managed to reverse the losses briefly in late trading, and hit an intraday high of 1,458.97 on mild bargain-hunting. On the broader market, gainers overwhelmed decliners 502 to 383, while 428 counters were unchanged, 1,006 untraded, and 12 others suspended. Turnover improved to 2.94 billion units worth RM1.86 billion, from 2.92 billion units worth RM1.83 billion on Thursday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said dema...

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 10): Bursa Malaysia closed slightly lower on Thursday (Aug 10) due to profit-taking activities following Wednesday's rally, with some investors keeping to the sidelines awaiting fresh catalysts. At 5pm, the FBM KLCI had eased 3.1 points to 1,458.93, from 1,462.03 at Wednesday’s close. The barometer index opened 1.67 points lower at 1,460.36, and moved between 1,453.37 and 1,460.70 throughout the day. On the broader market, decliners outpaced gainers 464 to 358, while 450 counters were unchanged, 1,015 untraded, and 12 others suspended. Turnover decreased to 2.92 billion units worth RM1.83 billion, from 3.17 billion units worth RM2.19 billion on Wednesday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said although the market was down, he viewed it as a healthy correction, as it provided a good opportunity to accumulate stocks at a lower level. “As ...

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 9): Bursa Malaysia closed higher on Wednesday (Aug 9), with the key index ending at its intraday high on the back of foreign buying support particularly in the heavyweights, despite a gloomy external environment. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 11.03 points to 1,462.03 from 1,451 at Tuesday’s (Aug 8) close. The barometer index opened 0.7 of a point lower at 1,450.3 and hit a low of 1,446.71 in the morning session. The momentum, however, reversed during mid-afternoon and continued building up thereafter. On the broader market, gainers beat losers 430 to 417, while 449 counters were unchanged, 994 untraded and 16 others suspended. Turnover stood at 3.17 billion units worth RM2.19 billion from 3.17 billion units worth RM1.71 billion on Tuesday, reflecting the domination of heavyweights in Wednesday's trading. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said key regional indices ended mixed on Wednesday as i...

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 8): Bursa Malaysia closed higher on Tuesday (Aug 8) amid a mixed performance by regional peers as local market sentiment recovered with buying support seen in heavyweights, mainly banking stocks. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 5.19 points to end the day at 1,451 from 1,445.81 at Monday’s (Aug 7) close. The barometer index opened 1.6 points lower at 1,444.21 and subsequently hit a low of 1,441.63 before gathering steam to move on an upward trajectory. It reached an intraday high of 1,452.47 at mid-afternoon. On the broader market, gainers beat losers 437 to 389, while 456 counters were unchanged, 1,008 untraded and 14 others suspended. Turnover increased marginally to 3.17 billion units worth RM1.71 billion from 3.13 billion units worth RM1.34 billion yesterday. CIMB was the largest contributor to the gains in the composite index with 1.405 points, after rising eight sen to RM5.60 with 9.5 million shares changing hands, wh...

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 7): Bursa Malaysia shook off early losses to close mixed Monday (Aug 7), with the benchmark index ending little changed on cautious market sentiment as key economic data from the US and China due later this week weighed on investors’ risk appetite. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) added 0.6 of a point to 1,445.81 from 1,445.21 at Friday’s Aug 4) close. The barometer index opened 0.32 of a point easier at 1,444.89 and moved between 1,442.13 and 1,449.38 throughout the day. However, the broader market was weaker with losers outpacing gainers 482 to 330, while 457 counters were unchanged, 1,005 untraded and 26 others suspended. Turnover increased to 3.13 billion units worth RM1.34 billion from 2.68 billion units valued at RM1.42 billion last Friday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the barometer index went through a roller coaster trading session on Monday but managed to end in positive territory,...

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 4): Bursa Malaysia snapped a three-day losing streak to close 0.23% higher on bargain-hunting, particularly for healthcare, financial services, and property counters, in tandem with the uptrend on most regional bourses on Friday (Aug 4). At 5pm, the FBM KLCI had strengthened by 3.36 points to 1,445.21, from 1,441.85 at Thursday’s close.  The barometer index opened 0.64 of a point higher at 1,442.49, and moved between 1,442.23 and 1,447.13 throughout the day. On the overall market, gainers beat losers 456 to 333, while 470 counters were unchanged, 1,017 untraded, and 26 others suspended. Turnover stood at 2.68 billion units worth RM1.42 billion. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said that regionally, the key indices were mostly higher, as investors were positive after the governor of China's central bank ...

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 3): Bursa Malaysia closed lower for the third consecutive day, in tandem with the regional selldown following the negative cue from global equities overnight.  At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slipped 2.71 points to 1,441.85 from 1,444.56 at Wednesday’s (Aug 2) close.  The key index opened 3.19 points weaker at 1,441.37 and moved between 1,433.04 and 1,442.78 throughout the day. On the overall market, decliners thumped advancers 510 to 361, while 431 counters were unchanged, 970 untraded and 13 others suspended. Turnover stood at 2.94 billion units worth RM1.65 billion. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the US economy is under scrutiny as investors assess the country’s ability to steer clear of the expected recession that many had foreseen due to the consecutive interest rate increases designed to temper inflation. On a positive note, the Caixin survey by S&P Global revealed that ...

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 2): Bursa Malaysia extended its decline for the second consecutive day on Wednesday (Aug 2) on persistent selling pressure mainly in telecommunications and commodity-related counters, in tandem with the downbeat regional markets. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 6.68 points, or 0.46%, to 1,444.56 from 1,451.24 at Tuesday’s (Aug 1) close.  The barometer index opened 1.79 points weaker at 1,449.45 and fluctuated between 1,441.85 and 1,450.28 throughout the day. The market breadth was also negative with decliners trouncing advancers 555 to 348, while 419 counters were unchanged, 943 untraded and 17 others suspended. Turnover stood at 2.79 billion units worth RM1.88 billion. Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd senior analyst Kenneth Leong said profit-taking activities from the previous week's rally remained unabated. The market weakness was also dragged down by concerns over the US credit rating downgrade and the renewed tensions between the US...

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 1): Bursa Malaysia retreated from Monday's gains to end lower on Tuesday (Aug 1), due to profit-taking activities amid mixed regional market performance, said a dealer. At 5pm, the FBM KLCI had fallen 8.19 points, or 0.56%, to 1,451.24, from 1,459.43 at Monday’s close, after opening 0.53 of a point weaker at 1,458.90. The key index fluctuated between 1,449.02 and 1,462.56 throughout the day. Overall market breadth was negative, with decliners trouncing advancers 599 to 343, while 417 counters were unchanged, 906 untraded, and 17 others suspended. Turnover stood at 3.83 billion units worth RM1.75 billion. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the key regional indices were mixed, but the Japanese market saw strong gains in line with market optimism sparked by a Wall Street rally overnight, although concerns about in...