Malaysian Shares Rise for Second Consecutive Session

In the Malaysian stock market, shares experienced gains for the second consecutive session on Thursday. The benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBMKLCI) saw a 0.2% increase, reaching 1,457.41.

Top Performers

During the session, Hong Leong Bank (+1.73%), a financial services company, emerged as the top performer, witnessing a 1.7% gain. RHB Bank (+1.30%), another financial services firm, also experienced a notable increase of 1.3%. Public Bank (+0.71%), an operator in the financial services industry, secured the third position among the top performers with a 0.7% rise in its shares.

Major Declines

Nestle (Malaysia) witnessed the largest decline, experiencing a 2.0% fall in its shares. Following closely, telecommunication services company Maxis saw its shares drop by 1.0%. Energy company Dialog Group also witnessed a decline of 1.0%.

Southeast Asia Overview

Across other parts of Southeast Asia, Singapore's FTSE Straits Times Index gained 1.4%, while Thailand's SET Index witnessed a 0.3% increase. The Philippines' PSEi Index added 0.9%, and Indonesia's JSX Composite Index saw an increase of 0.8%.

Asia-Pacific Overview

In the Asia-Pacific region, the Hang Seng Index of Hong Kong companies experienced a significant increase of 2.5%, while Japan's NIKKEI 225 Index fell by 0.4%. Meanwhile, the Shanghai Composite Index of Chinese companies witnessed a gain of 1.4%.

Other Market Updates

South Korea's KOSPI Composite Index rose by 1.6%, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Benchmark Index saw a 0.7% increase.

Currency Updates

On the currency front, the U.S. dollar fell by 0.5% against the Malaysian ringgit, reaching 4.61 ringgit. The euro also experienced a 0.3% decline, reaching 5.12 ringgit.