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.
Quick Summary Investors are heading into this week’s Federal Reserve meeting largely unfazed by the lack of an interest-rate cut . Instead, markets are signaling that what really matters now is earnings quality, economic stability, and a broadening rally beyond Big Tech . With the US economy holding up and profits expanding across more sectors, stocks appear able to grind higher even without immediate monetary easing. What’s Driving the Market Right Now Despite political pressure from Donald Trump for lower rates, markets are pricing a near-certain rate hold by the Federal Reserve this week — and investors seem comfortable with that outcome. The key shift: The market narrative is moving away from “rate-cut dependency” toward fundamentals . Key Investor Takeaways 1. The market doesn’t need a rate cut to move higher Strategists note that equities can perform well as long as growth and earnings remain intact. Rate cuts are a tailwind —...