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.
Singapore’s economy outperformed expectations in the third quarter, but fresh trade data suggests the city-state is not fully out of the woods as global protectionism continues to reshape supply chains. Non-oil domestic exports (NODX) fell 3.3% in the July–September period, reversing a 7% rebound in the previous quarter, Enterprise Singapore reported Friday. The decline was driven by a sharp pullback in non-electronics shipments , which offset gains in the electronics sector. Volatile pharmaceutical exports were among the largest drags. Despite Singapore’s resilience to tariff pressures—thanks in part to its lower US-bound duties relative to regional peers—its deep integration across global supply chains leaves it exposed to geopolitical swings and sector-specific shocks. The impact is already visible: exports to the US plunged 30.7% in the third quarter, the steepest drop among Singapore’s top 10 markets. For the first nine months of 2025, NODX...