Malaysian stocks experienced a decline for the second consecutive session on Friday, with the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBMKLCI) falling by 0.3% to 1,460.67.
Declining Stocks
In this session, energy firm Dialog Group (7277) posted the largest decline, dropping by 2.7%. Following closely behind was financial services company Hong Leong Finl Grp (1082), which declined by 2.3%. Additionally, shares of basic materials/resources company Petronas Chemicals Group (5183) dropped by 1.5%.
Leading Stocks
On the other hand, business/consumer services company Sime Darby (4197) emerged as the biggest leader during the session, rising by 1.7%. Firm YTL Power International (6742) also gained traction, with a growth of 1.3%. Meanwhile, MISC (3816), which operates in the transportation/logistics space, rounded out the top three leaders on Friday, with shares adding 1.0%.
Market Performance in Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific
In other parts of Southeast Asia, Singapore’s FTSE Straits Times Index (STI) declined by 0.3%, while the Thailand SET Index dropped by 0.1%. Conversely, the Philippines’ PSEi Index gained 0.3%, and Indonesia’s JSX Composite Index also observed a growth of 0.3%.
Looking at the broader Asia-Pacific region, Hong Kong stocks experienced a decline, with the Hang Seng Index down by 2.1%. However, Japan’s NIKKEI 225 Index gained 0.5%, and China’s Shanghai Composite Index rose by 0.1%.
South Korea’s KOSPI Composite Index faced a decrease of 0.7%, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Benchmark Index fell by 0.1%.
Currency Trends
On the currency front, the U.S. dollar fell by 0.2% against the Malaysian ringgit, reaching 4.68 ringgit. Additionally, the euro saw a similar decline, falling by 0.2% to 5.08 ringgit.