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.
Global financial markets opened the week on a defensive footing as U.S. President Donald Trump escalated trade tensions , announcing a 30% tariff on imports from the European Union and Mexico . The reaction was swift: S&P 500 futures dropped 0.5% , and investors rotated into safe-haven assets like gold, silver, and the Japanese yen . Market Snapshot (as of 10:32am Tokyo time) S&P 500 Futures: -0.5% Euro Stoxx 50 Futures: -0.6% Topix (Japan): -0.4% Hang Seng (HK): +0.1% Shanghai Composite: +0.4% Bloomberg Dollar Index: Flat USD/JPY: 147.04 (-0.3%) Gold: $3,360.20/oz (+0.1%) Bitcoin: $119,004.61 (-0.1%) Tariff Bombshell: Bluff or Real Risk? Trump’s unexpected move comes just days after similar tariffs on Brazil, Algeria, and Canada , shaking investor confidence in U.S. trade policy stability. “ Investors shouldn’t assume this is just a bluff, ” warned Brian Jacob...