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.
As the U.S. faces the possibility of a government shutdown after midnight Friday, key government functions hang in the balance. The debate centers around a spending package rejected by Republican lawmakers, following pressure from Elon Musk , Vivek Ramaswamy , and President-elect Donald Trump’s "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) . Key Impacts of a Potential Shutdown 1. Holiday Travel Chaos Air-traffic controllers and TSA agents would continue working without pay, potentially causing: Longer security lines as seen during the 2018 shutdown. Delays at major airports like New York’s LaGuardia. 2. Stock Market and IPOs IPO Freeze : The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) would furlough over 90% of its staff, halting initial public offerings and reducing market oversight. Stock Market : Historically, shutdowns have been seen as noise by investors. For example, the S&P 500 Index (SPX) g...