The Malaysia stock market has finished higher in two straight sessions, gathering more than 10 points or 0.6 percent along the way. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index now rests just above the 1,770-point plateau although it may be stuck in neutral on Thursday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets is mixed to lower ahead of Friday's U.S. jobs report, although crude oil continues to provide support. The European markets were down and the U.S. bourses were mixed and the Asian markets figure to split the difference.
The KLCI finished modestly higher on Wednesday following gain from the financials, industrials and plantations.
For the day, the index advanced 5.48 points or 0.31 percent to finish at 1,770.61 after trading between 1,767.80 and 1,771.32. Volume was 1.8 billion shares worth 175 billion ringgit. There were 429 decliners and 362 gainers, with 403 stocks finishing unchanged.
Among the actives, MISC surged 3.26 percent, while Genting climbed 0.93 percent, CIMB Group jumped 0.77 percent, Petronas Chemicals advanced 0.72 percent, Genting Malaysia shed 0.66 percent, IOI Corporation lost 0.45 percent, Telekom Malaysia added 0.16 percent, Public Bank collected 0.19 percent, Sime Darby and Petronas Gas both gained 0.11 percent and Maybank was unchanged.
The lead from Wall Street is inconclusive as stocks hovered near the unchanged line before ending on opposite sides of it - although the Dow managed to hit another record close.
The Dow jumped 52.32 points or 0.24 percent to 22,016.24, while the NASDAQ eased 0.29 points or 0.01 percent to 6,362.65 and the S&P added 1.22 points or 0.05 percent to 2,477.57.
Traders seemed reluctant to make significant moves ahead of Friday's monthly jobs report from the Labor Department.
Ahead of that report, payroll processor ADP reported that private sector employment increased by less than expected in July.
Crude oil futures rose Wednesday, holding near $50 a barrel after a smaller-than-expected drop in U.S. oil inventories. WTI light sweet crude oil rose 43 cents or 0.9 percent to $49.59 a barrel. Crude was up 8 percent in July, touching eight-week highs.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.