KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia ended the first half of 2022 on a disappointing note as selling pressure picked up the pace while key Asian markets also closed lower. The bellwether FBM KLCI has so far this year lost 123.31 points or 7.86% from 1,567.53 on Dec 31, 2021. The index closed the final day of the first half 7.26 points lower or 0.5% to close at 1,444.22. In the broader market, laggards outnumbered gainers 521-to-327; about 2.26 billion shares changed hands valued at RM1.97bil. “Markets are getting slammed as we head into the quarter-end, with global growth worries dominating and gas flows into Europe topping the laundry list of concerns on the continent,” SPI Asset Management managing director Stephen Innes said. He said the broader narrative remains unchanged, with growth worries dominating on the back of central bank tightening and the Fed road show pushing its hawkish front loader tone. “More broadly, price action continues to act poorly with growth worries … [Read more...] about Bursa ends 1H on a disappointing note, KLCI closes 7.26 points lower
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Markets in 1H: The almost perfect storm
- A + A LONDON (June 30): Investors knew that, after two years of COVID-19 chaos, 2022 would be a bumpy ride, but nobody expected this - the most turbulent first half global markets have ever seen. To grasp just how torrid things have been, consider two things. MSCI's 47-country world stocks index has suffered its biggest 1H drop since its creation in 1990. At same time, 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds - the benchmark of global borrowing markets and traditional go-to asset in troubled times - have had their worst first half since 1788. Why? Russia's invasion of Ukraine supercharged what was already fast-rising inflation, forcing the big central banks to jack up interest rates and politicians to warn of new world orders. The result? A $13 trillion wipeout in world stocks, a 15.5% plunge Japan's yen, Italy's worst rout since the euro zone crisis, and what is shaping up to be the strongest commodities rally since World War I. Add to that Russia being gouged out the … [Read more...] about Markets in 1H: The almost perfect storm