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 markets turned cautious as a sharp tech selloff and escalating US-Iran tensions weighed on sentiment, while Malaysia’s palm oil sector faced rising pressure from weak exports and intensifying regional competition . Wall Street Slides on Tech Weakness and Geopolitics US equities declined sharply, led by heavy selling in technology stocks: S&P 500 -1.62% , Nasdaq -1.98% , Dow -1.87% Super Micro Computer plunged 28% after a dilutive share placement Broad declines across chipmakers including NVIDIA , Advanced Micro Devices and Taiwan Semiconductor At the same time, oil prices surged 3% to US$90+ , as renewed military strikes heightened fears of inflation and prolonged high interest rates . KLCI Holds Ground but Breadth Signals Weakness Despite global volatility, Malaysia’s KLCI edged up 0.21% , supported by selective buying. However, underlying sentiment remained fragile: Losers outpaced gai...