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.
The options market lit up on July 23, revealing some eyebrow-raising activity that might hint at big moves—or big speculation. Moderna (MRNA) saw an explosion in call buying at the $40.5 strike, with volume spiking 172x compared to open interest. This suggests bullish traders are betting on a potential catalyst, possibly news or earnings. GoPro (GPRO) was hit with a wave of puts at $1.50 and $2 strikes—unusual, considering it’s been riding the meme stock rally. Could be a contrarian play or just cautious traders cashing in. Western Union (WU) attracted major upside interest with calls at $10 spiking 135x. This could be a bet on a turnaround story or even M&A whispers. AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) lit up with speculative call activity at $63. It’s a high-risk satellite play, but clearly some bulls are aiming for the stars. American Airlines (AAL) saw triple-digit call volume at $14, likely fueled by optimism around travel demand or upcoming earnings. Meanwhile...