Malaysian Stocks Continue to Rise

Malaysian stocks showed positive momentum for the second consecutive session on Friday. The benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI MY:FBMKLCI posted a 0.2% gain, reaching 1,516.58.

Top Performers

During the session, leisure/arts/hospitality company Genting MY:3182 emerged as the biggest leader, with a 3.0% increase. Retail/wholesale firm Mr. D.I.Y. Group (M) MY:5296 followed closely behind, gaining 2.9%. Transportation/logistics player Malaysia Airports Hldgs MY:5014 rounded out the top three leaders on Friday, with shares adding 2.7%.

Declining Stocks

However, not all companies saw gains. YTL MY:4677 experienced the largest decline, dropping 4.3%. YTL Power International MY:6742 also saw a decline of 4.1%. Basic materials/resources company Press Metal Aluminium MY:8869 fell 1.9%.

Southeast Asia Market Updates

In other parts of Southeast Asia, Singapore’s FTSE Straits Times Index SG:STI rose 1.0%, while the Thailand SET Index TH:SET increased by 1.3%. The Philippines’ PSEi Index PH:PSEI saw a 1.3% rise, and Indonesia’s JSX Composite Index ID:JAKIDX rose by 0.5%.

Asia-Pacific Market Overview

Moving to the Asia-Pacific region, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index HK:HSI experienced a slight decline of 0.2%, while the NIKKEI 225 Index JP:NIK of Japanese companies added 0.4%. China’s Shanghai Composite Index CN:SHCOMP faced a drop of 1.5%.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s KOSPI Composite Index KR:180721 made significant gains with a rise of 2.9%, and the S&P/ASX 200 Benchmark Index AU:XJO of Australian stocks also experienced a notable increase of 1.5%.

Currency Market Update

In terms of currencies, the U.S. dollar USDMYR fell 0.2% against the Malaysian ringgit, reaching 4.72 ringgit. The euro EURMYR remained stable at 5.14 ringgit.