KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia closed lower on Friday amid mixed regional market performance as investors turned cautious over a possible rate hike by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) and upcoming US economic data that may influence the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) interest rate decision next week. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) pared most earlier losses to settle 4.55 points easier, or 0.28 per cent, to 1,616.52 from Thursday’s close of 1,621.07. The benchmark index, which opened 0.37 of-a-point lower at 1,620.70, moved between 1,609.67 and 1,621.25 throughout the day. The broader market was negative, with decliners outpacing advancers 604 to 439. A total of 550 counters were unchanged, 1,151 untraded, and 18 suspended. Turnover declined to 3.17 billion units worth RM2.24 billion from 4.48 billion units worth RM2.75 billion yesterday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-presiden...
Q3 Guidance Highlights
Revenue: US$174bn – US$179.5bn (+10% to +13% YoY), comfortably above consensus (US$173.1bn).
Operating Income: US$15.5bn – US$20.5bn, more cautious vs Street expectations (US$19.45bn).
While top-line growth remains robust, particularly in e-commerce and AWS, margin pressures from heavy AI-related investments and intensifying cloud competition continue to weigh on sentiment.
Institutional Confidence – Ackman’s Big Bet
Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital acquired 5.8m shares in Q2.
Amazon is now 5th-largest holding, making up 9.3% of his 10-stock portfolio.
Ackman’s concentrated strategy means this signals high conviction in Amazon’s long-term growth story, despite near-term margin volatility.
Investor Lens
Bull Case: Revenue guidance reinforces Amazon’s leadership in e-commerce and cloud. Ackman’s entry provides a “confidence signal” for institutional flows.
Bear Case: Rising AI capex, slower AWS margin expansion, and cloud competition (Microsoft, Google) remain overhangs.
Key Watch: AWS revenue growth trajectory and AI monetization roadmap in Q3 earnings.
Market Snapshot
As of 9:25 pm MYT:
Dow Jones Futures: 45,580 (-0.30%).
US markets open at 9:30 pm Malaysia time — investors can trade with real-time feeds via Rakuten Trade.
Takeaway: Amazon is guiding stronger-than-expected growth, but investors must balance optimism with margin caution. Ackman’s stake provides credibility to the long-term bull case, though short-term volatility remains likely.
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