KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia gave up earlier gains to end mixed today, amid a higher regional market showing, as property, construction, and healthcare counters attracted buying interests, while plantation, banking, and telecommunication stocks saw some profit-taking, an analyst said. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 1.70 points to close at 1,602.34 from yesterday’s close of 1,604.04. The benchmark index, which opened 0.86 of-a-point lower at 1,603.18, moved between 1,601.02 and 1,608.88 during the trading session. However, the broader market was mixed to higher, with gainers leading decliners by 565 to 438 while 502 counters remained unchanged, 961 untraded, and 14 suspended. Turnover narrowed to 2.83 billion units valued at RM2.08 billion versus 2.96 billion units valued at RM2.23 billion yesterday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the benchmark index remained range-bound and it required a dec
British inflation remained steady at 2% last month, contrary to forecasts predicting a slight decrease. Strong underlying price pressures led investors to scale back expectations of an interest rate cut by the Bank of England (BOE) next month. Key Highlights: Inflation Steady: British inflation held at 2% in June, defying forecasts of a slight fall to 1.9%. The BOE's concern about services prices was underscored by increases in hotel prices, partly driven by US pop star Taylor Swift's UK tour. Service Sector Inflation: Inflation for services remained at 5.7%, unchanged from May and slightly above the expected 5.6%. Market Reactions: BOE Rate Cut Bets: Investors reduced the likelihood of a BOE rate cut on August 1 to about 35%, down from nearly 50% before the data. The sterling rose to its highest in a year against the US dollar, trading just over $1.30. Economic Outlook: Ian Stewart, chief economist at Deloitte, highlighted that while the headline inflation is lower than in