KUALA LUMPUR – Bursa Malaysia opened easier today in a cautious mode on profit-taking after closing on a firm note on Friday over ongoing concerns over Russia’s war in Ukraine and expectations of further US interest rate hikes which continue to plague overall sentiment.
At 9.05am, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI fell 4.60 points to 1,597.81 from 1,602.41 at Friday’s close.
The barometer index opened 0.38 of-a-point easier at 1,588.29.
However, on the broader market, gainers led losers 178 to 147, while 251 counters were unchanged, 1,668 untraded and 35 others suspended.
Total turnover stood at 175.02 million worth RM80.60 million.
The ringgit traded lower against the US dollar in the early trading session today on lack of demand due to falling crude oil prices, coupled with China’s weaker Purchasing Managers’ Index, said an analyst.
At 9am, the local currency was trading at 4.2130/2160 versus the greenback from 4.2110/2135 at Friday’s close.
At press time, Brent crude oil stood at US$103.81 per barrel, a decrease of 0.57%, while the US West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 0.70% to US$98.59 per barrel. – Bernama, April 4, 2022
