The Malaysia stock market has finished higher in two straight sessions, collecting almost 15 points or 1 percent along the way. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index now sits just above the 1,615-point plateau although it may run out of steam on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is flat to lower ahead of the U.S. presidential election and the Federal Reserve rate decision this week. The European and U.S. markets were down and the Asian bourses are tipped to open in similar fashion. The KLCI finished modestly higher on Monday following gains from the telecoms, plantations and industrials, while the financial sector was mixed. For the day, the index added 12.45 points or 0.78 percent to finish at the daily high of 1,616.43 after trading as low as 1,607.75. Among the actives, Axiata jumped 1.73 percent, while Celcomdigi perked 0.11 percent, CIMB Group advanced 1.13 percent, Genting rose 0.76 percent, Genting Malaysia was up 0.44 percent, IHH Healthcare gathered 0.69 percent, IOI Corporation surged 3.39 percent, Kuala Lumpur Kepong soared 2.79 percent, Maxis perked 0.55 percent, Maybank collected 0.38 percent, MISC strengthened 1.59 percent, MRDIY gained 0.90 percent, Nestle Malaysia rallied 1.80 percent, Petronas Chemicals accelerated 1.86 percent, PPB Group climbed 1.43 percent, Public Bank dropped 0.90 percent, QL Resources added 0.42 percent, RHB Bank rose 0.31 percent, Sunway improved 1.38 percent, Telekom Malaysia added 1.08 percent, Tenaga Nasional increased 1.29 percent, YTL Corporation skyrocketed 4.02 percent, YTL Power spiked 1.87 percent and Sime Darby, SD Guthrie and Press Metal were unchanged.
The lead from Wall Street is soft as the major averages opened lower on Monday, hugged the line for much of the day and finished in the red.
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Market Analysis
April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.