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.
Asian stocks firmed on Monday, buoyed by China's surprise decision to lower its 14-day repo rate by 10 basis points, just days after the central bank disappointed markets by not cutting longer-term rates. This move pushed Chinese blue chips up 0.5% , supporting regional market sentiment ahead of key central bank meetings expected to bring additional rate cuts and US inflation data that may signal further easing. With Japan closed for a holiday , trading volumes were thin. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 0.2%, following a strong 2.7% rebound last week. Nikkei futures traded higher, reflecting a continued rally from last week as the yen weakened, and the Bank of Japan (BOJ) signaled no rush to tighten policy further. In Europe, EUROSTOXX 50 futures rose 0.3%, and FTSE futures added 0.1%. In the US, S&P 500 futures were up 0.3%, while Nasdaq futures climbed 0.5%, reflecting optimism in the wake of the Federal Reserve's recent rat...