Malaysia Shares Hit Near 7-Year High Ahead of Rate Decision
2026-01-22 03:55
By
Chusnul Chotimah
1 min. read
The FBM KLCI rose 10 points, or 0.6%, to 1,716 in Thursday morning trade, extending the prior session’s gains and reaching its highest level since February 2019.
Malaysian equities tracked Wall Street’s overnight rally after U.S.
President Trump, speaking at the World Economic Forum, signaled a softer stance by retreating from tariff threats, boosting risk appetite across regional markets.
Broad-based sector gains were led by financials and plantation, with early movers including Public Bank Bhd (1.5%), CIMB Holdings (1.0%), Maybank (0.9%), and RHB Capital (0.8%).
Still, the upside was capped by recent data showing Malaysia’s industrial output slowed to a four-month low in November, dragged by weaker mining and manufacturing activity.
Investor attention now turns to Bank Negara Malaysia’s policy decision later in the day, with consensus expecting rates to remain at 2.75% for a third straight meeting despite inflation climbing to an 11-month high in December and resilient Q4 growth.