KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia closed higher, buoyed by Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) decision to maintain the Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) at 2.75 per cent, alongside positive cues from Wall Street. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 19.30 points, or 1.19 per cent, to 1,635.86 from Wednesday’s close of 1,616.56. The benchmark index opened 6.72 points higher at 1,623.28, and fluctuated between an intraday high of 1,642.44 and a low of 1,622.62 during the trading session. However, market breadth was negative, with losers outnumbering gainers 723 to 497, while 466 counters were unchanged, 1,075 untraded and 10 suspended. Turnover rose to 3.74 billion units valued at RM3.61 billion compared with yesterday’s 2.81 billion units valued at RM2.57 billion.
Airline shares across Asia tumbled after US and Israeli strikes on Iran disrupted Middle East airspace and triggered a sharp spike in oil prices. Carriers including Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd , Qantas Airways Ltd , Singapore Airlines Ltd and Japan Airlines Co Ltd fell more than 5% in early trading. Oil prices surged about 7%, compounding pressure on the sector. What’s Happening Key developments: Key hubs including Dubai and Doha closed for a third day Thousands of flights disrupted Tanker damage reported in the Middle East Brent crude climbed to multi-month highs According to VariFlight data, mainland Chinese airlines cancelled 26.5% of flights to and from the Middle East for March 2–8. Share Price Reaction Qantas fell as much as 10.4% at open ANA Holdings Inc dropped over 4% Air China Ltd , China Southern Airlines Co Ltd and China Eastern Airlines Corp Ltd each slid at least 4% AirAsia X Bhd also declined Even carriers n...