Bursa closes lower as the government imposes curbs to control Covid-19



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KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia remained in the red throughout Monday as investors were concerned about the impact of new restrictions imposed by the government to slow the spread of Covid-19.

At 5 p.m., the KLCI fell 11.92 points, or 0.78%, to 1,518.43. The turnover was 5.970 million shares valued at RM3.82bil. There were 498 winners, 573 losers, and 400 unchanged counters.

In the late afternoon, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya will be placed under the conditional movement control order (MCO) from this Wednesday until October 27.

Under the CMCO, most industries will be able to operate normally, but schools, daycare centers, places of worship, parks, sports activities, social activities, weddings, and entertainment venues are prohibited. However, travel between districts is only allowed for work purposes with proper identification issued by employers.

After the market closed, the Ministry of Health announced 563 new cases and two deaths. Sabah reported 291 new cases, Penang reported 141 cases, Selangor 69 cases, and Kuala Lumpir 28 cases.

On the global front, more than 37.42 million people have been reported to be infected with the new coronavirus worldwide and 1,074,688 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

In Bursa, consumer stocks were hit the hardest, as Nestlé fell the most, dropping RM1.10 to RM139.10, F&N 70 sen to RM32.30, Carlsberg 20 sen to RM19.70 and Heineken 18 sen to RM20.58.

Among banks, Public Bank ended the day down 32 sen to RM16.14, HL Bank 10 sen to RM15, CIMB six sen to RM3.10 and Maybank five sen to RM7.35

Energy giant Tenaga fell 20 sen to RM10.20, Genting nine sen to RM3.16 and GentingM four sen to RM2.06.

Pharmaniaga won the most, 50 sen to 5.19 yuan while Duopharma added 17 sen to RM3.62.

Among glove manufacturers, Supermax added 42 sen at RM9.96, Rubberex 39 sen at RM6.48, Kossan 22 sen at RM7.45, and Top Glove 16 sen at RM8.97.

On the external front, Hong Kong stocks posted gains on the mainland, and the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index posted its best day in three months as investors applauded Beijing’s latest political support for its capital markets, Reuters reported. .

The Shanghai Composite rose 2.64%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index 2.2%, South Korea’s Kospi 0.49% and Singapore’s STI 0.77%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.26%,

US light crude fell 71 cents to $ 39.89 and Brent 64 cents to $ 42.21.



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