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.
President Trump’s sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs excluded steel and aluminum already under existing 25% duties, offering relief to U.S. manufacturers and avoiding further cost inflation in the metals supply chain. What Happened Imported steel and aluminum , already subject to a 25% tariff (in place since 2018), were not included in the new reciprocal tariff regime announced Wednesday. Trump expanded the original metals tariffs last month to include hundreds of finished products , but refrained from adding new reciprocal duties on raw steel/aluminum imports in the latest move. Market Impact The decision eases pressure on U.S. metal buyers , who were bracing for even higher costs if reciprocal tariffs had been extended to steel and aluminum. Steel stocks edged higher : Nucor (NUE) +2.82% U.S. Steel (X) +0.55% Kaiser Aluminum (KALU) +0.37% Century Aluminum (CENX) +1.09% Reliance Steel (RS) +1.69% S...