KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia closed lower on Friday, even as utilities, healthcare, and financial services sectors saw increased buying interest following the release of Malaysia’s second-quarter (2Q) gross domestic product (GDP) data. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) slid 7.32 points to 1,727.39 compared with Thursday’s close of 1,734.71. The benchmark index opened 0.01 of a point higher at 1,734.72 and fluctuated between 1,726.77 and 1,734.72 throughout the day. On the broader market, losers trounced gainers 619 to 538, while 554 counters were unchanged, 1,117 untraded and 29 suspended. Turnover eased to 3.50 billion units valued at RM2.59 billion from 3.51 billion units valued at RM3.05 billion on Thursday. IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan said FBM KLCI closed lower despite Malaysia’s stronger-than-expected 6.0 per cent GDP growth in 2Q 2026, underscoring the market’s forward-looki...
US soybean futures climbed to their highest level in nearly a year and a half on Thursday, defying uncertainty over China’s pace of agricultural purchases as traders position ahead of a closely watched government crop report. January soy contracts rose as much as 0.4% to touch the strongest levels since June 2024. The rally brings prices back to where they traded after President Donald Trump announced last month that China had agreed to buy 12 million tons of US soybeans under a temporary trade truce — though only a small portion of those volumes has materialized. Markets are now fixed on Friday’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, the first update in two months. Analysts expect a mild downgrade to US soybean yields, with a Bloomberg survey of 26 forecasters projecting 53.1 bushels per acre for November, down from 53.5 previously. Joe Davis of Futures International said the latest leg higher is driven more by technical mome...