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.
Quick Summary European leveraged loan issuance hit a record weekly high Over €26.5 billion of loans priced in one week , the busiest in years Refinancings and repricings dominated , not new borrowing Investor demand remains strong , driven by CLO inflows and low risk premiums What’s Driving the Surge A wave of private equity–backed companies rushed into the market to refinance debt and lower interest costs , taking advantage of: A temporary lull in geopolitical noise Large pools of sidelined capital searching for yield Risk premiums near multi-year lows According to Bloomberg data, the week’s issuance represented about 5.3% of the entire European leveraged loan market . Cost-Cutting in Action Most deals focused on repricing existing loans : Dechra trimmed 50 basis points from both euro and dollar loans Ahlsell cut 75 basis points from its €2.6 billion debt pile Borrowers are moving fast, aware that marke...