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.
China’s housing market crisis, which has wiped out an estimated US$18 trillion (RM75.86 trillion) in household wealth, remains the biggest obstacle to achieving the country's 5% growth target . Most economists in a recent Bloomberg survey agree that ramping up the government's housing rescue package offers the best chance to propel growth and stave off a prolonged economic slowdown. Despite China's efforts to revive the property market with a 300 billion yuan (RM179.29 billion) program to help firms buy unsold homes from developers, progress has been slow. Only 29 out of over 200 cities have engaged in the plan, well below expectations, with unemployment rising and youth joblessness hitting new highs in August. The real estate slump, which has lasted for years, has led to millions of job losses, hurt consumer confidence, and reduced demand for products like steel. Analysts argue that larger-scale intervention is necessary, with estimates suggesting a one trillion to ...