Bursa Malaysia Falls Amid Global Recession Fears; Ringgit Surges

Kuala Lumpur, August 5, 2024 – The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) futures contract closed lower today, mirroring the declines in the underlying cash market. The August 2024 contract fell by 89.0 points to 1,530.0, September 2024 dropped 87.5 points to 1,513.0, December 2024 fell 89.5 points to 1,520.0, and March 2025 slid 90.0 points to 1,510.0. Turnover increased to 19,125 lots from 10,184 on Friday, and open interest rose to 63,439 contracts from 53,986.

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Bursa Malaysia Falls

At the close, the FBM KLCI fell 74.57 points or 4.62% to 1,536.48, down from Friday’s 1,611.05. The market experienced a severe downturn, with a significant drop in regional stock markets due to recession fears in the United States, impacting technology stocks the most. The Nikkei 225 Index in Japan plummeted over 12%, reflecting broader global market concerns.

On the broader market, decliners outnumbered gainers 1,658 to 83, with 131 counters unchanged, 533 untraded, and eight suspended. Turnover surged to 9.26 billion units worth RM7.97 billion from Friday’s 5.17 billion units worth RM3.98 billion.

In contrast, the Malaysian ringgit extended its gains against the US dollar, climbing 1.57% amid a weakened US Dollar Index (DXY). The ringgit closed at 4.4240/4305, up from Friday’s 4.4945/4995, reaching an intraday high of 4.3945 and an intraday low of 4.4970. The positive sentiment surrounding Malaysia’s economy contributed to this notable rise.