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.
Investors are betting on leveraged loans as US interest rates are expected to remain elevated with inflationary policies under President-elect Donald Trump . Major floating-rate debt funds, including Invesco Senior Loan ETF (BKLN) and SPDR Blackstone Senior Loan ETF (SRLN) , saw record inflows last week, with BKLN pulling in $576 million —its highest weekly intake in over a year. Leveraged loans, one of the year’s best-performing credit assets with 7.8% returns , have gained appeal as floating-rate structures allow investors to earn more as rates rise . Many expect Trump’s administration to support inflationary policies, pushing the Federal Reserve to maintain higher rates longer . " Higher for longer is here to stay ," stated John McClain from Brandywine Global Investment Management, highlighting a pro-business outlook and robust US economic growth as favorable conditions for leveraged loans. Analysts like Winnie Cisar of CreditSights warn against "the everything r...