KUALA LUMPUR – The ringgit opened easier against the US dollar on Wednesday as most investors await the first Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of the year, after which they will announce the new Overnight Policy Rate (OPR).
At 9:05am, the ringgit was marginally lower to 4.7270/7335 against the greenback compared to Tuesday’s closing of 4.7265/7290.
SPI Asset Management managing director Stephen Innes said the market’s expectations are that BNM will keep interest rates steady at 3% in its upcoming decision.
“In light of a recent media report suggesting that China is planning to inject 2 trillion yuan (RM1.32 trillion) into its economy to boost local market and investor confidence, Southeast Asian currencies have generally strengthened in comparison to the US dollar.
“There is a belief that the ringgit will catch up with the rest of the Asean currency basket if the proposed Chinese stimulus plan is implemented,” he told Bernama.
Meanwhile, the ringgit was traded higher against a basket of major currencies.
It appreciated vis-a-vis the Japanese yen to 3.1900/1946 from 3.1994/2013, rose against the British pound to 5.9976/6.0059 from 6.0159/0191 and improved versus the euro to 5.1293/1363 from 5.1457/1485 at Tuesday’s close.
Concurrently, the local note was traded mostly higher against Asean currencies.
It was marginally higher against the Singapore dollar to 3.5242/5293 from 3.5283/5304, gained versus the Thai baht to 13.2106/2343 from 13.2395/2521 and picked up against the Philippine peso at 8.39/8.41 from 8.41/8.42, previously.
It was traded marginally lower against the Indonesian rupiah to 302.3/302.7.4 from 302.2/302.4 at yesterday’s close.
Meanwhile, Bursa Malaysia was higher in early trade today, with the key index surpassing the 1,500 psychological level as market sentiment remained intact despite the weak overnight Wall Street performance, ahead of BNM’s OPR decision.
At 9.05 am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 4.74 points to 1,500.85, compared with Tuesday’s close of 1,496.11.
The barometer index opened 1.05 points better at 1,497.16.
Market breadth was positive with advancers outpacing losers 171 to 116, while 236 counters were unchanged, 1,764 untraded and 19 others suspended.
Turnover amounted to 179.32 million units worth RM77.47 million.
Apex Securities Bhd head of research Kenneth Leong said the FBM KLCI has formed another bullish candle yesterday and the extended recovery is expected to remain in place amid the calmer market conditions with the key index looking to take another jab towards the 1,500 psychological level.
He said investors will be keeping a close tab on BNM’s monetary policy decision today in which the central bank is expected to keep benchmark interest rates unchanged.
Globally, the focus would be on the ongoing release of the US quarterly corporate earnings results, he said.
“Further recovery may lift the key index towards the immediate resistance located at 1,504. Meanwhile, near-term support is pegged at 1,465,” he told Bernama.
Public Investment Bank Bhd said the FBM KLCI might trade within a tight range today after Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 and the Nasdaq were flat overnight as a mixed bag of earnings results from industry bellwethers threatened to douse a recent rally.
“The FBM KLCI is anticipated to tread sideways around the 1,485 horizon, swaying with market sentiment. Support levels for the index are at 1,485, 1,455 and 1,430, while the resistance levels are at 1,515, 1,551 and 1,580,” it said in a note today.
Among the heavyweights, Public Bank added one sen to RM4.36, CIMB, Petronas Chemicals and IHH Healthcare bagged three sen each to RM6.05, RM6.82 and RM6.03, CelcomDigi gained two sen to RM4.26, while Hong Leong Bank increased eight sen to RM19.20.
However, Tenaga Nasional shed six sen to RM10.44, while Maybank was flat at RM9.09.
As for the actives, Widad Group and Handal Energy added 1.5 sen each to 20 sen and 12.5 sen, YNH Property bagged four sen to 65 sen, Sarawak Consolidated earned 2.5 sen to 46 sen, while Leform inched up half-a-sen to 20 sen.
On the index board, the FBM Emas Index was 32.07 points higher at 11,176.25, the FBM 70 Index increased 24.01 points to 15,149.73, the FBMT 100 Index rose 29.88 points to 10,831.92, the FBM Emas Shariah Index advanced 31.1 points to 11,269.95, and the FBM ACE Index gained 7.21 points to 4,861.09.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index garnered 28.27 points to 16,729.74, the Property Index bagged 4.75 points to 907.89, the Plantation Index went up 17.8 points to 7,173.6, the Energy Index edged up 2.67 points to 860.83 and the Industrial Products and Services Index added 0.42 of-a-point to 174.17. – January 24, 2024