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.
Japanese stocks surged on Monday following the yen's sharp decline against the dollar after a strong US jobs report . The Nikkei 225 Stock Average jumped 2% to 39,408.59 , and the Topix index rose 1.5% to 2,735.15 in early trading. The yen fell to 149.13 per dollar , its weakest level since mid-August, after dropping more than 1% on Friday. The positive reaction stems from the strengthening US economy and a growing rate gap between the US and Japan , according to Shoji Hirakawa , chief global strategist at Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Lab Co. The Nikkei futures also rose 2.5% following the report showing 254,000 new US jobs in September , the highest in six months, alongside a drop in the unemployment rate. The yen's weakness benefits export-driven Japanese companies , particularly in the automobile and technology sectors , which were pressured last week by volatility in the currency.