KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia ended at its intraday low on Thursday as investor sentiment remained cautious amid ongoing foreign outflows, although the recent weakness may present bargain-hunting opportunities in fundamentally sound blue-chip counters. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 9.33 points, or 0.54 per cent, to 1,708.36, from yesterday’s close of 1,717.69. The benchmark index, which opened 3.74 points higher at 1,721.43, hit an intraday high of 1,722.50 in early trade before losing momentum for the rest of the day. Market breadth was negative, with losers outpacing gainers 656 to 508, while 565 counters were unchanged, 989 untraded and 32 suspended. Turnover fell to 3.49 billion units worth RM3.70 billion compared with 4.15 billion units worth RM4.29 billion on Wednesday.
China’s state-owned lenders delivered muted earnings growth in 2025 , highlighting ongoing pressure from policy-driven lending and shrinking interest margins . Profit Growth Slows Across Major Lenders Agricultural Bank of China reported net profit growth of 3.2% to 291 billion yuan , while Bank of China posted a weaker 2.2% increase . Similar trends were seen across peers, including Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and China Construction Bank , reflecting sector-wide earnings constraints . Despite the modest growth, total industry profits still reached 2.38 trillion yuan , up 2.3% year-on-year . Margin Compression Remains Key Headwind The banking sector continues to face a “double squeeze” : Record-low net interest margins (NIMs) Policy pressure to support economic growth through lending This has limited profitability even as loan volumes expand. Asset Quality Shows Early Signs of Stress While hea...