KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia rebounded to close higher on Wednesday on selective buying of defensive stocks after a volatile trading session. IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan said consumer products and services stocks lifted the key index higher, overcoming lingering geopolitical concerns. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 3.08 points to 1,715.56 from yesterday’s close of 1,712.48. The benchmark index, which opened 1.91 points higher at 1,714.39, moved between 1,710.79 and 1,720.59 during the day’s trading. In the broader market, gainers outstripped decliners 550 to 476, while 612 counters were unchanged, 1,129 untraded, and 48 suspended. Turnover rose to 2.96 billion units valued at RM2.48 billion from 2.94 billion units valued at RM2.56 billion on Tuesday.
Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) announced on Friday its plan to fully transition to the Malaysia Overnight Rate (MYOR) as the primary interbank rate used for pricing new financial contracts within the next three years. The MYOR will be published starting next year, with the existing Kuala Lumpur Interbank Offered Rate (KLIBOR) gradually phased out and its use in new products halted by 2027 . BNM urged market participants to begin adopting MYOR or its Islamic counterpart, MYOR-i , to avoid potential transition issues. The central bank emphasized that banks should engage with customers to promote the use of these new benchmarks. The shift to MYOR follows the global transition away from LIBOR due to rate manipulation scandals and aims to establish more robust, transaction-based benchmarks. Despite the introduction of MYOR in 2021 , KLIBOR remains prevalent, with legacy contracts worth RM929 billion still tied to the rate at the end of 2023. BNM is now seeking feedback on the proposed p...