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.
Key Takeaway Chinese battery giant CATL will begin production at its new Hungary plant within 4–5 months , earlier than its previous 2025-end target. With €7.3 billion invested , the facility is set to become CATL’s largest in Europe, supplying automakers like BMW, Stellantis, and Volkswagen. Details of the Expansion Location: Debrecen, Hungary Investment: €7.3 billion (US$8.55B / RM36.08B) Scale: Annual capacity of 100 GWh , with a planned 9,000-strong workforce Timeline: Production expected to start late 2025 or early 2026 Comparison: The plant will dwarf CATL’s Thuringia facility in Germany This project underscores CATL’s aggressive push to strengthen its footprint in Europe. Market Context CATL commands a 38% global EV battery market share in 2024 , up from 36% in 2023 (SNE Research). The company raised US$4.6 billion in its May Hong Kong IPO to help fund this project. Despite sluggish EV demand in Europe , CATL...