Malaysian Stocks Decline for Third Consecutive Session

Malaysian stocks experienced a decline for the third consecutive session on Friday. The benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBMKLCI) dropped by 0.1% to 1,454.38.

Decliners and Leaders

Genting, a leisure/arts/hospitality firm, witnessed the largest decline, with their shares dropping by 1.3%. Axiata Group, a telecommunication services company, also faced a decline of 1.2%. Sime Darby, a business/consumer services company, saw their shares decline by 0.8%.

On the other hand, Dialog Group, an energy company, experienced an increase of 1.5% during the session. YTL Power International rose by 1.2%. Telekom Malaysia, operating in the telecommunication services space, gained 0.7%.

Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific Region

In other parts of Southeast Asia, Singapore's FTSE Straits Times Index gained 0.9%, while Thailand's SET Index dropped by 0.2%. The Philippines' PSEi Index gained 0.5%, and Indonesia's JSX Composite Index increased by 0.4%.

Moving to the Asia-Pacific region, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell by 1.7%, while Japan's NIKKEI 225 Index increased by 0.1%. The Shanghai Composite Index of Chinese companies fell by 0.1%.

South Korean and Australian Markets

The KOSPI Composite Index of South Korean stocks remained flat, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Benchmark Index was also flat.

Currency Update

On the currency front, the U.S. dollar fell by 0.5% to 4.63 Malaysian ringgit, and the euro fell by 0.6% to 5.10 ringgit.