Bursa opens lower as Wall Street weakness weighs

2026-03-19 - 02:01

KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia opened lower on Thursday, with the benchmark index reversing early gains after opening higher, tracking overnight weakness on Wall Street. Sentiment was dampened by a higher-than-expected US producer price index, which rose 0.7% against a consensus forecast of 0.3%, while the US Federal Reserve maintained its policy rate, a dealer said. At 9.11am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 7.73 points, or 0.45%, to 1,722.08 from Wednesday’s close of 1,729.81. The key index opened 6.52 points higher at 1,723.29 before turning lower. Market breadth was negative, with 338 losers outpacing 116 gainers. A total of 251 counters were unchanged, 2,061 untraded and 11 suspended. Turnover stood at 243.98 million shares worth RM185.11 million. MORE TO COME