Little Movement Expected For Malaysia Stock Market

(RTTNews) - The Malaysia stock market headed south again on Thursday, one session after ending the two-day slide in which it had slipped six points or 0.4 percent. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index now sits just above the 1,540-point plateau and it's expected to remain rangebound again on Friday.

The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat on easing trade concerns. The European and U.S. markets were mostly higher and the Asian bourses figure to follow that lead.

The KLCI finished modestly lower on Thursday as losses from the financial shares and plantation stocks were mitigated by support from the industrials.

For the day, the index shed 7.16 points or 0.46 percent to finish at 1,542.74 after trading between 1,541.45 and 1,551.59.

Among the actives, Axiata advanced 0.95 percent, while Celcomdigi dropped 1.02 percent, CIMB Group slumped 1.15 percent, Gamuda slid 0.44 percent, IHH Healthcare was up 0.14 percent, IOI Corporation plummeted 3.50 percent, Kuala Lumpur Kepong surrendered 1.31 percent, Maybank retreated 1.20 percent, MISC dipped 0.41 percent, MRDIY plunged 2.86 percent, Nestle Malaysia skidded 1.05 percent, Petronas Chemicals added 0.58 percent, Petronas Dagangan rallied 2.27 percent, PPB Group stumbled 2.12 percent, Press Metal rose 0.41 percent, Public Bank fell 0.45 percent, QL Resources sank 0.63 percent, RHB Bank declined 1.19 percent, Sime Darby lost 0.48 percent, SD Guthrie tanked 2.35 percent, Sunway perked 0.21 percent, Telekom Malaysia shed 0.57 percent, Tenaga Nasional climbed 0.99 percent, YTL Corporation surged 2.93 percent, YTL Power gained 0.56 percent and 99 Speed Mart Retail and Maxis were unchanged.

The lead from Wall Street is positive as the major averages opened higher on Thursday and remained firmly in the green throughout the trading day.

The Dow jumped 254.48 points or 0.62 percent to finish at 41,368.45, while the NASDAQ rallied 189.98 points or 1.07 percent to close at 17,928.14 and the S&P 500 gained 32.66 points or 0.58 percent to end at 5,663.94.

The strength on Wall Street came after President Donald Trump unveiled the framework of a trade agreement with the U.K.

Trump claimed the deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture, and will see the U.K. reduce or eliminate numerous non-tariff barriers.

In economic news, the Labor Department said first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits saw a modest decline last week. Also, the Labor Department noted a pullback by U.S. labor productivity in the first quarter of 2025 along with a sharp increase by unit labor costs.

Crude oil futures rallied on Thursday following news of the trade agreement between the United States and Great Britain. West Texas Intermediate crude for June delivery surged $1.84 or 3.2 percent to $59.91 a barrel.

Closer to home, Malaysia will release March numbers for unemployment later today; in February, the jobless rate was 3.1 percent.