Little Movement Expected For Malaysia Shares

(RTTNews) - The Malaysia stock market has ticked higher in two straight sessions, collecting more than 3 points or 0.2 percent in that span. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index now sits just above the 1,600-point plateau although it may spin its wheels on Friday.

The global forecast for the Asian markets remains murky on concerns over the outlook for interest rates. The European markets were down and the U.S. bourses were mixed and flat, and the Asian markets are expected to follow the latter lead.

The KLCI finished barely higher on Thursday, lifted into the green by the industrials while nearly everything else ended in the red.

For the day, the index perked 0.51 points or 0.03 percent to finish at 1,600.09 after trading between 1,590.83 and 1,600.73.

Among the actives, Axiata lost 0.82 percent, while Celcomdigi gained 0.28 percent, CIMB Group collected 0.25 percent, Genting Malaysia slid 0.47 percent, IOI Corporation stumbled 1.55 percent, Kuala Lumpur Kepong eased 0.09 percent, Maxis slumped 1.39 percent, Maybank fell 0.59 percent, MISC retreated 1.87 percent, Nestle Malaysia tanked 2.02 percent, Petronas Chemicals plunged 2.29 percent, Petronas Gas advanced 0.57 percent, PPB Group tumbled 1.98 percent, Press Metal shed 0.83 percent, QL Resources skidded 1.26 percent, RHB Bank dropped 1.23 percent, Sime Darby declined 1.72 percent, SD Guthrie dipped 0.20 percent, Telekom Malaysia added 0.30 percent, Tenaga Nasional sank 0.99 percent, YTL Corporation skyrocketed 19.16 percent, YTL Power surged 11.48 percent and Genting, MRDIY, IHH Healthcare, Public Bank and Sunway were unchanged.

The lead from Wall Street offers little clarity as the major averages opened higher Thursday on bargain hunting but faded as the day progressed, finally ending mixed and little changed.

The Dow rose 15.37 points or 0.04 percent to finish at 42,342.24, while the NASDAQ dipped 19.93 points or 0.10 percent to close at 19,372.77 and the S&P 500 eased 5.08 points or 0.09 percent to end at 5,867.08.

The initial strength on Wall Street came as traders looked to pick up stocks at reduced levels after Wednesday's steep losses, which saw the Dow tumble to its lowest closing level in over a month.

Wednesday's sell-off came after the Federal Reserve announced its widely expected decision to lower interest rates by a quarter-point but forecast rate cuts fewer than expected next year.

Upbeat economic data supported for the Fed's cautious approach to further rate cuts after the Commerce Department said GDP surged more than expected in Q3. Also, the Labor Department said first-time claims for U.S. jobless benefits pulled back more than expected last week.

Crude oil futures were down on Thursday, weighed down by a stronger dollar after the Federal Reserve signaled fewer interest rate cuts next year than had been expected. West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures for January closed down $0.67 or 0.95 percent at $69.91 a barrel.

Closer to home, Malaysia will release November data for consumer prices later today; in October, inflation was up 0.2 percent on month and 1.9 percent on year.