KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia extended its losing streak for a fourth consecutive session, closing lower on Thursday amid continued broad-based selling that weighed on market sentiment, an analyst said. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slid 9.23 points or 0.57 per cent to 1,585.96 from Wednesday's close of 1,595.19. The benchmark index opened 3.61 points lower at 1,591.58 and fluctuated between an intraday low of 1,583.66 and a high of 1,592.89 throughout the day. Market breadth remained negative with losers thumping gainers 799 to 318, while 476 counters were unchanged, 1,181 untraded and 13 suspended. Turnover climbed to 3.06 billion units valued at RM2.56 billion compared with yesterday’s 2.90 billion units valued at RM2.33 billion.
TA Securities Holdings Bhd expects Budget 2025 to feature an allocation of RM403.7 billion , with RM305.7 billion allocated for operating expenditure and RM97.9 billion for development expenditure. This forecast suggests a reduction in the fiscal deficit to 3.7% of GDP in 2025, down from a projected 4.2% in 2024 , moving towards the government's 3.5% target by 2026 . The growth in government revenue, forecasted to rise 5.7% to RM325.3 billion , will be driven by increases in both direct and indirect taxes , as the economy expands at an expected rate of 5% in 2025. The services and manufacturing sectors , along with wage increases and private investments , are projected to support this growth. Key initiatives in Budget 2025 are expected to include measures supporting public infrastructure projects like the Mass Rapid Transit 3 (MRT3) and high-speed rail (HSR) , digital economy investments , and sustainable development related to energy transition . Additionally, sectors l...