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.
Asian equities advanced on Monday, led by Chinese stocks, as investors positioned for a dovish US Federal Reserve pivot and awaited Nvidia’s earnings later this week — a key test for lofty AI-driven valuations. The MSCI Asia-Pacific ex-Japan Index rose 1.5% , with Chinese blue chips up 1.4% to their highest since mid-2022. The rally in China has pushed the index almost 10% higher in August , despite persistent weakness in domestic demand and corporate pricing power, highlighting the liquidity-fuelled nature of gains. Elsewhere, Japan’s Nikkei gained 0.4% , South Korea climbed 1.1% , and Australia added 0.2% . Fed Pivot Drives Sentiment Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell ’s speech at Jackson Hole bolstered expectations of monetary easing: Futures now price an 84% probability of a 25bps cut in September , with at least 100bps of cumulative cuts by mid-2026 . The dovish tilt pressured Treasury ...