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KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 31): Bursa Malaysia closed marginally higher on Tuesday, despite a mixed regional peers performance, as risk appetite in the broader market improved on bargain hunting activities.  At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 2.94 points to 1,442.14 from Monday's closing of 1,439.20. The benchmark index, which opened 0.45 of a point easier at 1,438.75, moved between 1,437.98 and 1,443.46 throughout the day. The broader market turned slightly positive with advancers beating decliners 410 to 398, while 486 counters were unchanged, 1,082 untraded and 61 suspended. Turnover increased to 2.99 billion units worth RM1.85 billion from 2.8 billion units valued at RM1.51 billion yesterday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice president Thong Pak Leng said the local bourse was buoyed by bargain-hunting activities, particularly in commodity-related stocks. He said sentiment is likely to stay cautious, with increasing external volatility and potential ...

  KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 30): Bursa Malaysia closed marginally lower on Monday amid regional markets’ mixed performance, a dealer said.  At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) decreased 2.7 points to 1,439.2 from last Friday's (Oct 27) closing of 1,441.9. The benchmark index, which opened 1.86 points lower at 1,440.04, moved between 1,436.98 and 1,441.8 throughout the day. On the broader market, decliners outpaced gainers 624 to 238, while 416 counters were unchanged, 1,114 untraded and 76 suspended. Turnover increased to 2.8 billion units valued at RM1.51 billion from 2.72 billion units worth RM1.69 billion on Friday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice president Thong Pak Leng said key regional indices ended mixed as cautious sentiments emerged while investors brace themselves for a data-packed week, with the US Federal Reserve taking the spotlight on account of its policy meeting this week.  He noted that the Japanese market is facing sub...

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 27): Bursa Malaysia ended the week slightly higher on Friday as bargain-hunting activities emerged, with buying seen mainly in transportation and logistics stocks, said a dealer.   At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) edged up 1.3 points to 1,441.9 from Thursday's closing of 1,440.60. The benchmark index opened 0.11 of a point better at 1,440.71 and moved between 1,439.33 and 1,444.15 throughout the day. On the broader market, decliners edged past gainers 430 to 426 while 463 counters were unchanged, 1,073 untraded and 24 suspended. Turnover shrank to 2.72 billion units worth RM1.69 billion from 3.23 billion units worth RM1.98 billion on Thursday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice president Thong Pak Leng said the sentiment would remain cautious given the increasing market risks and global volatility. "Yet, we [maintain] our view that the valuations of the KLCI continue to be appealing, providing opportunities for investors...

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 26): Bursa Malaysia ended mixed on Thursday as the US 10-year yield rebounded to 4.95%, causing a sell-off in global equity markets despite Malaysia's positive producer price index (PPI) data, a dealer said.  At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 1.91 points to 1,440.6 from Wednesday’s closing of 1,442.51 The index, which opened 0.52 of a point higher at 1,443.03, moved between 1,438.8 and 1,445.14 throughout the day. However, on the broader market, gainers beat decliners 436 to 402, while 448 counters were unchanged, 1,088 untraded and 17 suspended. Turnover expanded to 3.23 billion units worth RM1.98 billion from 2.83 billion units worth RM1.78 billion on Wednesday.  Apex Securities Bhd head of research Kenneth Leong said the weakness was also due to concern over a higher interest rate environment that dominated sentiment. "Going forward, we expect the downside to persist, owing to the volatility across global markets, un-easing g...

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 25): Bursa Malaysia closed higher on Wednesday on the back of bargain-hunting activities with more than two-thirds of the key index components advancing, driven by the calmer market conditions on Wall Street overnight, a dealer said.  At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) gained 6.86 points to 1,442.51 from Tuesday’s closing of 1,435.65. The index, which opened 2.32 points higher at 1,437.97, moved between 1,437.82 and 1,444.53 throughout the day. Likewise, on the broader market, gainers beat decliners 447 to 360, while 459 counters were unchanged, 1,102 untraded and 20 suspended. Turnover decreased to 2.83 billion units worth RM1.78 billion from 2.93 billion units worth RM1.94 billion on Tuesday.  Apex Securities Bhd head of research Kenneth Leong said the improvement was also driven by China's government proposal to issue sovereign bonds worth one trillion yuan (RM646.59 billion) in an attempt to shore up its economy. "Looking ahead, we...

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 24): Bursa Malaysia ended mixed on Tuesday as profit taking earlier in the day tapered off as bargain hunting sets in while the market awaits fresh catalysts, dealers said.  At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) erased 2.47 points to 1,435.65 from Monday’s closing of 1,438.12. The index opened 0.16 of a point better at 1,438.28 and moved between 1,430.15 and 1,440.28 throughout the day. However, on the broader market, gainers surpassed decliners 510 to 348, while 452 counters were unchanged, 1,058 untraded and 13 suspended. Turnover decreased to 2.93 billion units worth RM1.94 billion from 3.38 billion units worth RM2 billion on Monday.  Apex Securities Bhd head of research Kenneth Leong said investors will be keeping a close watch on the ongoing quarterly corporate earnings releases in the US such as Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Visa later on Tuesday night. "Looking ahead, we expect the local bourse to find stability amid signs of ...

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 23): Bursa Malaysia ended lower on Monday in tandem with the negative performance across the regional markets, coupled with extended selling activities from foreign funds, said a dealer.  At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) declined 2.92 points to 1,438.12 from Friday’s closing of 1,441.04. The index opened 0.69 of a point higher at 1,441.73 and moved between 1,435.05 and 1,443.86 during the session. The key index managed to recoup earlier losses during the mid-afternoon session on mild bargain hunting, but it only lasted 40 minutes. On the broader market, decliners beat gainers 743 to 195, while 384 counters were unchanged, 1,035 untraded and nine suspended. Turnover decreased to 3.38 billion units worth RM2 billion from 3.51 billion units worth RM1.9 billion on Thursday. 

  KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 20): Bursa Malaysia ended marginally lower on Friday amid the weakness in regional markets as higher US bond yields weighed on the global risk appetite while rising tension in the Middle East further dampened sentiments, dealers said. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) dipped 1.62 points to 1,441.04 from Thursday’s closing of 1,442.66. The index opened 0.69 of a point higher at 1,443.35 and moved between 1,438.36 and 1,443.75 during the session. The key index managed to recoup earlier losses during the mid-afternoon session on mild bargain hunting, but it only lasted an hour. On the broader market, decliners trounced gainers 558 to 315 while 464 counters were unchanged, 1,020 untraded and nine suspended. Turnover increased to 3.51 billion units worth RM1.9 billion from 3.07 billion units worth RM2.02 billion on Thursday. Apex Securities Bhd head of research Kenneth Leong said the downtrend in the local bourse stemmed from concern...

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 19): Bursa Malaysia ended lower on Thursday on profit-taking activities, in sync with regional peers taking the cue from the sharp fall on Wall Street on Wednesday and rising tension in the Middle East, a dealer said. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) shed 3.88 points to 1,442.66 from Wednesday’s closing of 1,446.54. The index opened 3.28 points lower at 1,443.26 and moved between 1,441.34 and 1,445.19 during the session. On the broader market, decliners trumped gainers 509 to 337, while 457 counters were unchanged, 1,048 untraded and 10 suspended. Turnover decreased to 3.07 billion units worth RM2.02 billion from 3.41 billion units worth RM2.71 billion on Wednesday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the FBM KLCI concluded the day with a slight dip as fresh catalysts were absent while investors remained cautious due to the volatile performances in global and regional equity markets. He shared that...

UALA LUMPUR (Oct 18): Bursa Malaysia extended Tuesday's gains to end at an intraday high on Wednesday, after recouping earlier losses. However, the broader market was negative with decliners trumping gainers 616 to 265, while 438 counters were unchanged, 1,031 untraded and 10 suspended. Regional bourses were mixed after China registered better-than-expected third-quarter (3Q) gross domestic product (GDP) at 4.9%, while the Middle East conflict continues to weigh on sentiment, dealers said. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 2.41 points to end at an intraday high of 1,446.54 from Tuesday’s closing of 1,444.13. The index, which opened 0.9 of-a-point easier at 1,443.23, hit a low of 1,441.06 in the mid-morning session before gaining momentum to move upwards in the late session. Turnover increased to 3.41 billion units worth RM2.71 billion from 2.67 billion units worth RM1.92 billion on Tuesday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong P...

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 17): Bursa Malaysia closed higher on Tuesday, in tandem with the better performance in regional bourses, taking the cue from the upbeat Wall Street performance overnight. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 5.17 points to end at an intraday high of 1,444.13 from Monday’s closing of 1,438.96. The key index opened 0.08 of a point higher at 1,439.04 and hit a low of 1,438.95 in the early morning session before gaining momentum to move upwards thereafter. On the broader market, gainers outpaced decliners 439 to 353, while 504 counters were unchanged, 1,045 untraded and 10 suspended. Turnover decreased to 2.67 billion units worth RM1.92 billion from 3.09 billion units worth RM1.92 billion on Monday.  Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice president Thong Pak Leng said the KLCI closed marginally higher due to bargain-hunting activities following Monday's sell-off while the key regional indices were also in the green following positive ...

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 16): Bursa Malaysia closed broadly lower on Monday, in tandem with the weaker performance in regional bourses as cautious sentiment following geopolitical tensions in the Middle East weighed on investors risk appetite. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 5.18 points to 1,438.96 from Friday’s (Oct 13) close of 1,444.14. The key index, which opened 1.22 points better at 1,445.36, moved between 1,436.5 and 1,446.12 throughout the day. Market breadth was negative with decliners thumping advancers 597 to 284, while 451 counters were unchanged, 1,022 untraded and 24 others suspended. Turnover decreased to 3.09 billion units worth RM1.92 billion from 3.22 billion units worth RM1.8 billion on Friday.  Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice president Thong Pak Leng said the local market was subdued as selling pressure mounts across the region as escalated conflicts in the Middle East continue to hurt investor sentiment. He said the ongoing...

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 13): Bursa Malaysia ended mixed as investors remained cautious while digesting Budget 2024 announcements.  At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) inched up 0.32 points to 1,444.14 from Thursday’s close of 1,443.82. The index, which opened 0.45 of-a-point lower at 1,443.37, moved between 1,440.49 and 1,444.97 throughout the day. On the broader market, decliners outpaced gainers 488 to 377, while 479 counters were unchanged, 1,011 untraded and 25 others suspended. Turnover decreased to 3.22 billion units worth RM1.80 billion from 3.38 billion units worth RM2.03 billion on Thursday.  Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice president Thong Pak Leng said he expects the medium-term outlook for Malaysian equities to remain stable, supported by attractive valuations, stronger corporate earnings and improving economic conditions. “Therefore, we expect accumulation to persist in the upcoming week,” he told Bernama.   Among the heav...

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 12): Bursa Malaysia finished higher on Thursday, tracking the strong regional market performance, with buying interest mainly in banking and telecommunication stocks, ahead of the tabling of Budget 2024 on Friday. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) increased 7.33 points to 1,443.82 from Wednesday’s close of 1,436.49.  The index, which opened 1.47 points better at 1,437.96, moved between 1,437.96 and 1,446.06 throughout the day. On the broader market, gainers outpaced decliners 587 to 341, while 439 counters were unchanged, 988 untraded and 11 others suspended. Turnover increased to 3.38 billion units worth RM2.03 billion from 3.01 billion units worth RM2.18 billion on Wednesday.  Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the key regional markets were also in the green following positive cues from global equities overnight, buoyed by easing global yield and renewed hopes of China's stimulus to boo...

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 11): Bursa Malaysia just managed to close out the session in positive territory on Wednesday on the back of banking and gaming stocks amid advances by regional peers and ahead of Budget 2024 on Friday. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) edged up 1.32 points to 1,436.49 from Tuesday’s closing of 1,435.17. The index, which opened 0.42 points weaker at 1,434.75, moved between 1,432.27 and 1,438.45 during the day. On the broader market, gainers outpaced decliners 464 to 399, while 465 counters were unchanged, 1,014 untraded and 10 others suspended. Turnover decreased to 3.01 billion units worth RM2.18 billion from 3.39 billion units worth RM2.02 billion on Tuesday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng noted that key regional indices ended on a positive note, taking the cue from Wall Street's rise overnight as retreating US bond yields lifted sentiment. "Investors are finding relief in signs that i...

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 10): Bursa Malaysia closed on a positive note on Tuesday, buoyed by buying activities and improved regional markets’ performance, a dealer said. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 17.91 points to 1,435.17 from Monday’s closing of 1,417.26.  The index, which opened 2.07 points higher at 1,419.33, moved between 1,419.33 and 1,435.89 during the day. On the broader market, gainers outpaced decliners 585 to 332, while 450 counters were unchanged, 959 untraded and nine others suspended. Turnover increased to 3.39 billion units worth RM2.02 billion from 2.88 billion units worth RM1.78 billion on Monday.  Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said key regional indices trended mostly higher, taking their cue from Wall Street's optimism after the US Federal Reserve (Fed) officials minimised the chances of a rate hike for the rest of the year, despite the recent uptick in treasury yields. “The benchmark index fi...

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 9): The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) ended in positive territory driven by energy-related stocks amid the stronger oil market due to tensions in the Middle East. At 5pm, the barometer index rose 0.38 of a point to 1,417.26 from last Friday’s (Oct 6) close of 1,416.88.  The index, which opened 0.18 of a point higher at 1,417.06 in the morning, moved between 1,415.8 and 1,420.71 during the day. However, overall market breadth was negative with losers outpacing gainers 500 to 343 while 447 counters were unchanged, 1,020 untraded and nine others suspended. Turnover strengthened to 2.88 billion units worth RM1.78 billion from 2.86 billion units worth RM2.09 billion last Friday. SPI Asset Management managing partner Stephen Innes said the market’s risk-off sentiment continued to prevail amid an escalation of geopolitical risk in the Middle East. “So the bursa traded with a risk-off bias. This is a typical global reaction that hurts most stock...

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 6): Bursa Malaysia closed marginally higher on Friday, due to bargain-hunting after the recent selloff amid a better performance by regional peers, a dealer said. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) edged up 1.28 points to 1,416.88 from Thursday’s closing of 1,415.60 The index, which opened 0.31 of a point easier at 1,415.29, moved between 1,415.28 and 1,419.96 during the day. The market breadth was positive with gainers outpacing decliners 449 to 407, while 449 counters were unchanged, 1,011 untraded and 15 others suspended. Turnover dropped to 2.86 billion units worth RM2.09 billion, from 3.11 billion units worth RM2.25 billion on Thursday. Regionally, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index expanded 1.58% to 17,485.98, Singapore's Straits Times Index gained 0.70% to 3,177.21, and South Korea’s Kospi added 0.21% to 2,408.73. ...

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 5): Bursa Malaysia ended flat on Thursday on last-minute selling that halted the key index’s recovery, as investors adopted a wait-and-see attitude before taking further position ahead of the tabling of Budget 2024 next week, a dealer said. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 0.24 of-a-point to 1,415.60, from Wednesday’s closing of 1,415.84.  The index, which opened 2.40 points lower at 1,413.44, moved between 1,412.17 and 1,420.61 during the day. However, market breadth was positive with gainers outpacing decliners 453 to 355, while 503 counters were unchanged, 977 untraded and 15 others suspended. Turnover increased to 3.11 billion units worth RM2.25 billion, from 3.02 billion units worth RM2.23 billion on Wednesday. 

  KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 4): Bursa Malaysia ended trading in the red on Wednesday, taking a cue from the unabated volatility on Wall Street overnight, with its key index down by 0.29%, said a dealer. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) trimmed 4.17 points to 1,415.84 from Tuesday’s closing of 1,420.01. The index, which opened 2.1 points weaker at 1,417.91, moved between 1,412.70 and 1,419.66 during the session. On the broader market, decliners trounced gainers 730 to 255, while 395 counters were unchanged, 914 untraded and 24 others suspended. Turnover decreased to 3.02 billion units worth RM2.23 billion from 3.22 billion units worth RM2.2 billion on Tuesday. Apex Securities Bhd head of research Kenneth Leong said the weakness was also dragged by the recent batch of solid economic data that could reinforce the hawkish tone of the US Federal Reserve to keep interest rates higher for longer. Looking ahead, he expects downwar...

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 3): Bursa Malaysia ended slightly higher on Tuesday amid mixed regional markets. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) edged up 1.25 points to 1,420.01 from Monday’s closing of 1,418.76. The index, which opened 0.18 of a point lower at 1,418.58, moved between 1,417.94 and 1,424.11 during the session. On the broader market, decliners beat gainers 545 to 401, while 425 counters were unchanged, 924 untraded and 23 others suspended. Turnover increased to 3.22 billion units worth RM2.20 billion from 3.01 billion units worth RM1.8 billion on Monday. SPI Asset Management managing director Stephen Innes noted that the local bourse bucked the mainly negative regional trend as surging global sovereign yields hurt risk sentiment. "Low valuations are attractive in Malaysia, but frankly it's difficult for investors to get excited locally given property market woes in China and the higher US (bond) yields,” he said. Public Investment Bank Bhd sees the K...

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 2): Bursa Malaysia ended at an intraday low on Monday due to cautious sentiment and a lack of fresh catalysts amid mixed performance by regional markets, said an analyst. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) dropped 5.41 points to 1,418.76 from last Friday’s close at 1,424.17. The barometer index opened 0.10 points easier at 1,424.07 and moved up to 1,428.04 during the day. On the broader market, decliners trumped gainers 632 to 285, while 427 counters were unchanged, 951 untraded and eight others suspended. Turnover fell to 3.01 billion units worth RM1.8 billion from 3.03 billion units worth RM2.43 billion on Friday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice president Thong Pak Leng said key regional indices finished mixed as investors were closely scrutinising economic data from China and Japan while awaiting the release of the US purchasing managers index (PMI) data later on Monday. "China's markets are closed for the Golden Week holid...