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.
A profound shift is underway in the US$150 trillion global bond market : investors increasingly see mega-cap companies as safer than the governments backing their currencies. Driven by rising government debt , political gridlock , and disciplined corporate balance sheets , investors are accepting lower yields from companies like Microsoft, Airbus, L’Oréal and Siemens than from the sovereign bonds of the US, France or Germany. It’s a reversal of financial orthodoxy — and it’s accelerating. Governments Keep Borrowing, Corporates Keep Cutting Since the pandemic, companies have aggressively cut costs, trimmed debt, and protected margins despite higher interest rates. Governments did the opposite. G7 debt-to-GDP is set to keep rising through 2030 . Trump’s recent tax cuts may add US$3.4 trillion to US deficits over 10 years. France faces political deadlock and chronic deficits. Germany is bending ...