The Malaysian stock market experienced its fourth consecutive session of losses on Thursday, with the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBMKLCI) dropping by 0.2% to reach 1,442.85.
Declining Stocks
Energy firm Dialog Group (7277) recorded the largest decline, dropping by 2.5%. Following closely behind was agriculture company QL Resources (7084), which experienced a 2.3% decrease. Energy company Petronas Dagangan (5681) also fell by 2.0%.
Leading Performers
Despite the overall downtrend, Nestle (Malaysia) (4707), a notable company, emerged as the biggest leader during the session, with a gain of 1.9%. Retail/wholesale firm Mr. D.I.Y. Group (M) (5296) also made gains, adding 1.3%. Sime Darby (4197), operating in the business/consumer services space, rounded out the top three leaders on Thursday, with its shares rising by 1.3%.
Southeast Asia’s Stock Market Movement
In Singapore, the FTSE Straits Times Index (STI) experienced a 0.4% decline. Similarly, the Thailand SET Index saw a drop of 0.7%. The Philippines’ PSEi Index declined by 1.1%, while Indonesia’s JSX Composite Index increased by 0.7%.
Stock Movements in Asia-Pacific
Hong Kong stocks faced declines, with the Hang Seng Index down by 0.7% at 16,345.89. Japanese companies represented by the NIKKEI 225 Index fell by 1.8%. Chinese companies on the Shanghai Composite Index experienced a slight decline of 0.1%.
In South Korea, the KOSPI Composite Index declined marginally by 0.1%, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Benchmark Index fell by the same percentage.
Currency Movements
As for currency exchange rates, the U.S. dollar climbed by 0.1% to reach 4.67 Malaysian ringgit (MYR), and the euro increased by 0.2% to 5.04 ringgit.