The Malaysian stock market experienced a downturn on Friday, retracting the gains made from halting a two-day decline that had shaved off more than 12 points, equivalent to a 0.7 percent decrease. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) now stands slightly above the 1,635-point mark and is expected to rebound on Monday.
Globally, the forecast for Asian markets appears positive, driven by optimism regarding interest rate prospects. Both European and U.S. markets saw an upward trend, suggesting that Asian markets may follow suit.
On Friday, the KLCI edged lower due to weakness in utility stocks and mixed results from financial shares, plantation stocks, and telecom companies. The index fell by 5.92 points, or 0.36 percent, to close at 1,635.74, fluctuating between 1,633.31 and 1,644.44 throughout the day.
Among the active stocks, Axiata rose by 0.83 percent, while Celcomdigi increased by 0.28 percent. Conversely, Genting decreased by 0.46 percent, and IOI Corporation dropped by 0.79 percent. Maxis and PPB Group both declined by 1.10 percent, while Petronas Chemicals fell by 1.55 percent. Press Metal, however, saw a gain of 0.98 percent, and Public Bank experienced a 1.31 percent decrease. Smaller gains were recorded by QL Resources and RHB Capital at 0.15 percent and 0.17 percent, respectively. Sime Darby added 0.77 percent, and SD Guthrie climbed 1.09 percent. On the downside, Sunway fell by 1.47 percent, Telekom Malaysia decreased by 0.58 percent, and Tenaga Nasional dropped by 1.01 percent. YTL Corporation and YTL Power also retreated by 1.60 percent and 1.67 percent, respectively. Stocks such as Hong Leong Bank, Hong Leong Financial, Maybank, MISC, MRDIY, CIMB Group, Kuala Lumpur Kepong, and Genting Malaysia remained unchanged.
Wall Street concluded the week on a high note, with major indices opening higher on Friday and maintaining gains throughout the session, closing near their peak levels. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged by 462.28 points or 1.14 percent to close at 41,175.08. The NASDAQ composite climbed 258.39 points, or 1.47 percent, ending at 17,877.79. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 gained 63.97 points, or 1.15 percent, finishing at 5,634.61.
For the week, the Dow advanced by 1.3 percent, the NASDAQ by 1.4 percent, and the S&P 500 by 1.5 percent.
The positive momentum on Wall Street was fueled by comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, suggesting that the central bank is poised to lower interest rates during its upcoming September meeting.
Additionally, the U.S. Commerce Department reported a significant increase in new home sales in July, contributing further to the optimistic sentiment.
In commodity markets, crude oil prices continued to surge on Friday following a rebound in the previous session. West Texas Intermediate crude for October delivery advanced by $1.82, or 2.5 percent, to $74.83 per barrel, following a $1.08 increase, or 1.5 percent, on Thursday to $73.01 per barrel. Despite these gains, crude oil prices fell by 0.9 percent for the week due to earlier sell-offs.
