MARKET PULSE PM JULY 23, 2025 [WATCH]
Bursa Malaysia rebounded after a two-day decline, boosted by the IMF's remarks on Malaysia's resilient financial fundamentals and strong position to weather global headwinds.
Buying interest strengthened in the technology sector, which rose 1.5 per cent, driven by gains in NexG and Zetrix AI.
Meanwhile, the ringgit edged slightly higher to 4.2260 against the US dollar.
In the crypto market, Bitcoin tumbled to RM498,999.
Other cryptocurrencies also trended downward, with Ethereum trading at RM15,503 and Solana at RM839.
That wraps up today's Market Pulse.
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Malay Mail
15 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Bursa dips on profit-taking as investors await Fed rate decision
KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 — Bursa Malaysia opened lower on Wednesday, tracking losses from overnight Wall Street performance as profit-taking emerged ahead of the United States (US) Federal Reserve (Fed) interest rate cut decision later today. At 9.10am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 2.43 points, or 0.12 per cent, to 1,521.39 from Tuesday's close of 1,523.82. The benchmark index opened 0.28 of a point firmer at 1,524.10. Market breadth was slightly negative, with decliners leading gainers 177 to 104. A total of 263 counters were unchanged, 1,987 untraded, and 89 suspended. Turnover stood at 169.43 million shares worth RM86.30 million. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said Wall Street ended in the red as investors engaged in profit-taking ahead of the Fed's interest rate decision later today, amid a mixed set of corporate earnings. 'Additionally, we believe foreign funds took the opportunity to lock in profits after a decent run-up recently. 'Nonetheless, we reckon the sell-down was quite excessive and expect an immediate rebound. Otherwise, we may be stuck within another consolidation phase. For today, we expect the index to trend between the 1,520-1,530 range,' he told Bernama. Thong also said market sentiment was severely impacted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) raising Malaysia's real gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast. Yesterday, the IMF in its July 2025 World Economic Outlook (WEO) update 'Global Economy: Tenuous Resilience amid Persistent Uncertainty', raised its forecast for Malaysia's GDP growth to 4.5 per cent in 2025 and 4.0 per cent in 2026. It said the forecast is 0.4 percentage point higher than in the reference forecast of the April 2025 WEO and 0.2 percentage point higher for 2026. Among the heavyweights, Maybank rose one sen to RM9.53, Public Bank, Tenaga Nasional and CIMB were flat at RM4.21, RM13.32 and RM6.64, respectively. IHH Healthcare dropped two sen to RM6.58. On the actively traded list, Dataprep gained half a sen to 12 sen, TWL and Harvest Miracle both remained unchanged at 2.5 sen and 17.5 sen, while NexG lost half a sen to 52.5 sen and Pharmaniaga slipped one sen to 17 sen. Top gainers included Chin Teck Plantations which advanced 21 sen to RM9.70, Petronas Gas added 14 sen to RM17.92, and Country View grew nine sen to RM2.39. Among the top losers, Nestle dropped RM1.32 to RM86.48, and Malaysian Pacific Industries narrowed 14 sen to RM19.28. On the broader market, the FBM Emas Index was down 16.16 points to 11,423.97, the FBMT 100 Index trimmed 15.84 points to 11,185.69, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index shed 22.64 points to 11,455.45. The FBM 70 Index edged down 14.39 points to 16,513.82, while the FBM ACE Index inched down 9.60 points to 4,617.02. Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index ticked down 11.26 points to 17,298.08, the Industrial Products and Services Index was 0.02 of a point lower at 159.36, and the Plantation Index dropped 18.44 points to 7,376.59, while the Energy Index gained 3.02 points to 746.74. — Bernama
Malay Mail
15 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
IMF raises Malaysia's real GDP growth forecast to 4.5pc for 2025, 4.0pc for 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised its forecast for Malaysia's real gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 4.5 per cent in 2025 and 4.0 per cent in 2026. In its July 2025 World Economic Outlook (WEO) update released today, titled 'Global Economy: Tenuous Resilience amid Persistent Uncertainty', the IMF said the forecast for 2025 is 0.4 percentage point higher than in the reference forecast of the April 2025 WEO and 0.2 percentage point higher for 2026. Meanwhile, the IMF said that in the emerging market and developing economies, growth is expected to be 4.1 per cent in 2025 and 4.0 per cent in 2026. 'Relative to the forecast in April, growth in 2025 for China is revised upward by 0.8 percentage point to 4.8 per cent. This revision reflects stronger-than-expected activity in the first half of 2025 and the significant reduction in US-China tariffs,' it said. Additionally, it said China's growth in 2026 is also revised upward by 0.2 percentage point to 4.2 per cent, again reflecting the lower effective tariff rates. 'In India, growth is projected to be 6.4 per cent in 2025 and 2026, with both numbers revised slightly upward, reflecting a more benign external environment than assumed in the April reference forecast,' it said. The IMF highlighted that despite global uncertainties, countries should reduce policy-induced uncertainty by promoting clear and transparent trade frameworks. 'Pragmatic cooperation is paramount in instances in which some rules of the international trading system, in their current form, may not be functioning as intended. 'This entails the pursuit of multilateral initiatives on the global commons and modernising trade rules where feasible, while seeking plurilateral or regional solutions on other matters,' it said. Moreover, the IMF said bilateral negotiations can help defuse trade tensions and should aim to reduce trade and investment barriers while not increasing them toward third parties, which could escalate tensions with other trading partners. 'Such negotiations should be pursued with the ultimate aim of addressing the root causes of tensions: specifically, excess external imbalances arising from internal policy choices. This would involve identifying and taking steps to resolve the underlying distortions for a more durable solution. 'Broad subsidies and industrial policies aiming to protect exports can be costly and distortive,' it said. The IMF said central banks must carefully calibrate monetary policies to country-specific circumstances to maintain price and financial stability amid prolonged trade tensions and evolving tariffs. 'In countries imposing tariffs on trading partners — either by initiating or by retaliating — these actions constitute supply shocks. 'Hence, central banks in these countries face a difficult trade-off between shielding the real sector and preventing the expected one-off increase in prices from turning into persistently higher inflation. The trade-off becomes more pertinent if inflation is already above target,' it said. According to the report, further easing of monetary policy should then depend on having convincing evidence that inflation and inflation expectations are heading decisively back to target. 'Countries that have not imposed tariffs, by contrast, face a demand shock. Central banks could, in this case, gradually reduce the policy rate,' it said. — Bernama
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
IMF raises Malaysia's GDP growth forecast to 4.5% in 2025
KUALA LUMPUR: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised its forecast for Malaysia's real gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 4.5 per cent in 2025 and 4.0 per cent in 2026. In its July 2025 World Economic Outlook (WEO) update released today, titled 'Global Economy: Tenuous Resilience amid Persistent Uncertainty', the IMF said the forecast for 2025 is 0.4 percentage point higher than in the reference forecast of the April 2025 WEO and 0.2 percentage point higher for 2026. Meanwhile, the IMF said that in the emerging market and developing economies, growth is expected to be 4.1 per cent in 2025 and 4.0 per cent in 2026. 'Relative to the forecast in April, growth in 2025 for China is revised upward by 0.8 percentage point to 4.8 per cent. This revision reflects stronger-than-expected activity in the first half of 2025 and the significant reduction in US-China tariffs,' it said. Additionally, it said China's growth in 2026 is also revised upward by 0.2 percentage point to 4.2 per cent, again reflecting the lower effective tariff rates. 'In India, growth is projected to be 6.4 per cent in 2025 and 2026, with both numbers revised slightly upward, reflecting a more benign external environment than assumed in the April reference forecast,' it said. The IMF highlighted that despite global uncertainties, countries should reduce policy-induced uncertainty by promoting clear and transparent trade frameworks. 'Pragmatic cooperation is paramount in instances in which some rules of the international trading system, in their current form, may not be functioning as intended. 'This entails the pursuit of multilateral initiatives on the global commons and modernising trade rules where feasible, while seeking plurilateral or regional solutions on other matters,' it said. Moreover, the IMF said bilateral negotiations can help defuse trade tensions and should aim to reduce trade and investment barriers while not increasing them toward third parties, which could escalate tensions with other trading partners. 'Such negotiations should be pursued with the ultimate aim of addressing the root causes of tensions: specifically, excess external imbalances arising from internal policy choices. This would involve identifying and taking steps to resolve the underlying distortions for a more durable solution. 'Broad subsidies and industrial policies aiming to protect exports can be costly and distortive,' it said. The IMF said central banks must carefully calibrate monetary policies to country-specific circumstances to maintain price and financial stability amid prolonged trade tensions and evolving tariffs. 'In countries imposing tariffs on trading partners -- either by initiating or by retaliating -- these actions constitute supply shocks. 'Hence, central banks in these countries face a difficult trade-off between shielding the real sector and preventing the expected one-off increase in prices from turning into persistently higher inflation. The trade-off becomes more pertinent if inflation is already above target,' it said. According to the report, further easing of monetary policy should then depend on having convincing evidence that inflation and inflation expectations are heading decisively back to target. 'Countries that have not imposed tariffs, by contrast, face a demand shock. Central banks could, in this case, gradually reduce the policy rate,' it said. - Bernama
