KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia ended lower on the final trading day of the week, weighed down by the plantation sector as investors locked in gains following its recent strong performance. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 7.03 points 1,708.10, compared with yesterday’s close of 1,715.13. The benchmark index opened 1.39 points lower at 1,713.74 and fluctuated between 1,704.86 and 1,715.20 throughout the day. The broader market was negative with losers outnumbering gainers 568 to 523, while 596 counters were unchanged, 1,085 untraded and 19 suspended. Turnover expanded to 4.33 billion units valued at RM2.98 billion from 3.90 billion units valued at RM3.21 billion on Thursday.
Asian equities advanced for a third straight session on Wednesday, mirroring gains on Wall Street as deteriorating U.S. consumer data strengthened expectations for a Federal Reserve rate cut next month. Benchmarks in Japan, South Korea and Australia all opened higher after the S&P 500 climbed 0.9% and the Nasdaq 100 added 0.6%. Chinese equities will be closely watched after Alibaba Group’s U.S.-listed shares declined following its earnings release. Treasuries eased after sharp gains in the prior session, which were driven by reports placing White House National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett as the leading candidate to become the next Fed chair. The dollar slipped to a one-week low, according to a Bloomberg measure. Cooling U.S. Data Reinforces Rate-Cut Narrative Equities regained momentum as U.S. consumer confidence posted its sharpest drop since April, while September retail sales picked up only modestly. The delayed batch of economic data, caused by a government shutdow...