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.
CIMB Securities has expressed a positive outlook for the glove industry , despite cost pressures from Budget 2025 measures. These cost pressures arise from higher labour costs , including increased foreign worker levies and a minimum wage hike . However, analysts remain confident that glove manufacturers will pass these increased costs to consumers by raising average selling prices (ASPs) . With labour costs making up around 9% to 11% of total production costs, production costs are estimated to rise by 1.7% to 2.4%. Glove makers are responding by raising ASPs between 5% and 10%, and prices are now between US$21 to US$23 per 1,000 pieces for orders slated for December and January delivery . A significant tailwind for Malaysian glove manufacturers comes from the upcoming hike in US tariffs on gloves from China . Starting in January 2025, US tariffs on medical and surgical gloves from China will rise from 7.5% to 50%, with further increases to 100% by 2026. This development is expec...