The Malaysian stock market ended its seven‑day winning streak on Friday, having gained nearly 80 points or 4.8 %. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index sits just below the 1,605‑point level, and further declines could emerge on Monday.
Asia‑wide market outlook remains bleak as fears of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine weigh on sentiment, with European and U.S. equities lower and Asian bourses expected to follow suit at the open.
The KLCI edged lower on Friday, with losses in financial and telecom stocks offset by gains in plantation shares.
During the session the index slipped 1.97 points, or 0.12 %, to close at 1,603.05, trading in a range of 1,599.80–1,607.42. Turnover reached 3.868 billion shares valued at 2.989 billion ringgit, with 510 stocks falling and 477 advancing.
Notable movers included CIMB Group down 0.53 %, Dialog Group falling 2.15 %, Digi.com slipping 0.95 %, Genting rising 0.85 %, Genting Malaysia dropping 1.36 %, IHH Healthcare declining 0.61 %, INARI plunging 3.03 %, IOI Corporation advancing 6.47 %, Kuala Lumpur Kepong gaining 2.56 %, Maybank easing 0.23 %, Maxis up 0.45 %, MRDIY dropping 1.60 %, Petronas Chemicals down 0.97 %, PPB Group climbing 1.97 %, Press Metal rising 1.01 %, Public Bank off 0.45 %, RHB Capital and Petronas Gas each retreating 1.05 %, Sime Darby lower by 0.87 %, Sime Darby Plantations down 0.20 %, Tenaga Nasional up 0.45 %, while MISC, Top Glove, Hartalega Holdings, Telekom Malaysia and Axiata finished flat.
Wall Street’s tone was soft, with the major averages opening lower on Friday and staying down for most of the session, closing firmly in negative territory.
The Dow slipped 232.85 points, or 0.68 %, to 34,079.18; the Nasdaq fell 168.65 points, or 1.23 %, to 13,548.07; and the S&P 500 declined 31.39 points, or 0.72 %, to 4,348.87. Over the week the Dow lost 1.9 %, the Nasdaq 1.8 % and the S&P 500 1.6 %.
The ongoing weakness on Wall Street reflects persistent geopolitical worries, as Ukrainian officials and Russian state‑controlled media continue to trade accusations of cease‑fire breaches in the country’s east.
Uncertainty over the monetary‑policy outlook also pressed on markets, ahead of an expected Federal Reserve rate increase next month.
In U.S. economic news, the National Association of Realtors reported a notable rise in existing home sales last month, while the Conference Board posted an unexpected decline in its leading economic indicators for January.
Crude oil prices eased on Friday as talks to revive the Iran nuclear deal progressed. March‑dated West Texas Intermediate futures fell $0.69, or 0.36 %, to settle at $91.07 per barrel, and WTI contracts were down 2.2 % for the week.
