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.
Asian equities surged to a fresh all-time high , outperforming global peers as investors rotated toward cheaper valuations and stronger regional growth prospects , even as precious metals cooled after a historic rally. What’s Driving the Rally MSCI Asia-Pacific Index jumped 1.2% to a record high Asian stocks have outperformed the S&P 500 so far this year Investors are broadening exposure beyond the US , amid rising political and policy uncertainty in Washington Valuations remain the key attraction : Asia-Pacific trades at ~15x earnings vs ~22x for the S&P 500 and ~25x for the Nasdaq 100 This valuation gap is drawing global capital toward Asian and non-US assets. Japan in Focus Early momentum was led by Japan , where markets reopened after a holiday: Topix surged 2.2% Japanese government bond yields jumped Speculation that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi may dissolve parliament as early as next mont...