Malaysia Bourse May Find Traction On Thursday

The Malaysia stock market has ticked lower in four straight sessions, slipping more than 15 points or 1 percent along the way. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index now sits just above the 1,600-point plateau although it may stop the bleeding on Thursday.

The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat on improved optimism about the outlook for interest rates. The European markets were up and the U.S. bourses were mostly higher and the Asian markets figure to follow suit.

The KLCI finished slightly lower on Wednesday following losses from the plantations and industrials and mixed performances from the financials and telecoms.

For the day, the index shed 5.77 points or 0.36 percent to finish at 1,603.20 after trading between 1,598.93 and 1,605.01.

Among the actives, Genting lost 0.83 percent, while Genting Malaysia shed 0.93 percent, IHH Healthcare plunged 3.76 percent, IOI Corporation sank 1.03 percent, Kuala Lumpur Kepong skidded 1.30 percent, Maxis climbed 1.15 percent, Maybank and Petronas Dagangan both rose 0.20 percent, MISC fell 0.80 percent, MRDIY dropped 1.09 percent, Nestle Malaysia rallied 2.05 percent, Petronas Chemicals tanked 2.16 percent, PPB Group slipped 0.78 percent, Press Metal was down 0.60 percent, Public Bank jumped 1.99 percent, QL Resources tumbled 2.07 percent, Sime Darby retreated 1.69 percent, SD Guthrie and YTL Corporation both slumped 1.39 percent, Sunway plummeted 5.85 percent, Telekom Malaysia declined 1.51 percent, Tenaga Nasional added 0.58 percent, YTL Power stumbled 1.63 percent and Axiata, Celcomdigi, CIMB Group and RHB Bank were unchanged.

The lead from Wall Street is mixed to higher as the major averages opened in the green on Wednesday, although the Dow was unable to hold those gains.

The Dow dropped 99.27 points or 0.22 percent to finish at 44,148.56, while the NASDAQ surged 347.65 points or 1.77 percent to close at a record 20,034.89 and the S&P 500 rallied 49.28 points or 0.82 percent to end at 6,084.19.

The strength in the broader markets followed the release of closely watched inflation data that came in line with estimates.

With the data matching expectations, the report has increased confidence that the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates by another quarter-point next week.

CME Group’s FedWatch Tool is currently indicating a 98.6 percent chance the Fed will cut rates by 25 basis points at its December meeting.

Oil futures settled higher Wednesday on possible sanctions on Russia by the European Union, expectations of increased demand from China and data showing a jump in gasoline stockpiles. West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures for January closed up $1.70 or 2.5 percent at $70.29 a barrel.

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