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.
Malaysia’s ringgit breaking below 4.00/USD changes the equity leadership playbook. A strong MYR is not uniformly bullish or bearish — it reshuffles winners and losers across sectors. Below is a clean who wins / who loses framework for navigating a strong-currency regime. Who Wins from a Strong MYR 1) Index Heavyweights & Financials Why they win: Attract foreign inflows seeking currency + equity upside Lower FX volatility improves valuation confidence Balance sheets less sensitive to USD revenue translation Key beneficiaries Malayan Banking CIMB Group Holdings Market effect: Stronger MYR + inflows = index resilience , even when exporters lag. 2) Utilities & Domestic Defensives Why they win: Revenue largely ringgit-denominated Lower imported fuel, equipment, and capex costs Viewed as safe allocations by foreign funds in EM rotations Key beneficiaries Tenaga Nasional Telekom Malaysia 3) Import...