KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia rebounded to close higher on Wednesday on selective buying of defensive stocks after a volatile trading session. IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan said consumer products and services stocks lifted the key index higher, overcoming lingering geopolitical concerns. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 3.08 points to 1,715.56 from yesterday’s close of 1,712.48. The benchmark index, which opened 1.91 points higher at 1,714.39, moved between 1,710.79 and 1,720.59 during the day’s trading. In the broader market, gainers outstripped decliners 550 to 476, while 612 counters were unchanged, 1,129 untraded, and 48 suspended. Turnover rose to 2.96 billion units valued at RM2.48 billion from 2.94 billion units valued at RM2.56 billion on Tuesday.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will report its Q4 earnings on January 15 , taking center stage as the most critical “pick-and-shovel” play in the global AI boom. With AI chip demand accelerating and expectations running high, investors are less focused on headline numbers and more on forward guidance, capacity expansion, and long-term AI visibility . Options Market: Caution Ahead of Earnings The derivatives market is signalling defensive positioning into the print: Put/Call ratio: 1.64 on open interest of 1.76 million contracts Implied volatility: 43.33% , well above historical volatility of 31.25% IV Percentile: 67% , indicating options are moderately expensive This suggests institutions are hedging against downside risk , even if results come in strong — a sign that expectations for guidance may be difficult to exceed. Q4 Financial Expectations (Consensus) Revenue US$32.38bn (+20% YoY, -2% Qo...