Daily Market Reports Issued By Rakuten Trade Research : Page 1

It has been a unique day on Wall Street as all 3 major indices closed positively but experienced sharp declines during after-hour trading following Trump’s massive reciprocal tariff announcement.
Meanwhile, the US 10-year yield slid to 4.127%. In Hong Kong, the HSI pared earlier gains to end on a flat note as traders turned edgy over Trump’s decision on his latest tariffs policy later today.
Many analysts expect if imposed, the tariffs may have adverse implications on the prospective earnings of Chinese companies.
Back home, the FBM KLCI made an instant rebound as it closed above the 1,525 level.
We were indeed impressed by the strong buying, especially during the afternoon session and expect the index to trend between the 1,500-1,520 range today amid heightening regional market volatility attributed to Trump’s bizarre protectionism move.
Except for Singapore (10%) and the Philippines (17%), Malaysia’s 24% reciprocal tariff ranked the 3rd lowest within the Asia-Pacific region, with Cambodia (49%), Vietnam (46%), Thailand (36%) and Indonesia (32%) as the Top 4 targets.

Wall Street ended on a mixed note amid a choppy session as implementation of Trump’s latest tariffs remained uncertain.
Sentiment was also affected by the weaker manufacturing data in the US coupled with a lower-thanexpected job opening for February.
Meanwhile, the US 10- year yield eased to 4.161%.
Over in Hong Kong, the HSI closed positively following a recent dismal performance as confidence was buoyed by China’s manufacturing industry which grew at its fastest pace in 4 months.
The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), as compiled by Caixin expanded to 51.2 in March, the highest since November last year.
The local bourse will resume trading today after a weak closing last Friday amid a regional decline attributed to the massive earthquake in Myanmar that also affected both Thailand and China.
We believe a swift rebound is in the offing for the FBM KLCI as it needs to trend above the 1,530 level as soon as possible otherwise it will be stuck within a consolidation phase gain.
For today, we expect the index to hover between the 1,515- 1,530 range.

Wall Street stocks finished lower as President Trump prepared to unveil new tariffs on US auto imports, widening the global trade war he kicked off this year.
Three key major indices ended negatively with the DJIA and Nasdaq losing 0.31% and 2.04% respectively while S&P500 dipped 1.12%.
Most major Asian indices finished in positive territory supported by O&G, tech and EV stocks.
The HSI rose 0.6%, bouncing back from Tuesday’s close at the lowest level since March 4.
Domestically, the FBM KLCI continued its upward trajectory due to bargain hunting on selected heavyweights given their cheap valuations.
We are watching for a breakout; without it, the benchmark index may stay range-bound until fresh catalysts appear.
Hence, we expect the FBM KLCI to trend within the range of 1,510-1,530 for today.

Wall Street stocks ended higher as investors assessed consumer sentiment data and bet on a more flexible trade policy stance from the Trump administration next week.
Three key major indices ended positively with the DJIA and Nasdaq gaining 0.01% and 0.46% respectively while S&P500 added 0.16%.
Across Asia, markets closed on a mixed note as investors in China and Hong Kong locked in recent gains, dragging the HSI down by 2.35%.
On the domestic front, the FBM KLCI finished in positive territory, supported by better sentiment.
Despite the rebound, we maintain a guarded outlook amid persistent global uncertainties.
We foresee buying support for blue-chip counters, keeping the benchmark index within the 1,510–1,520 band.

Wall Street closed broadly higher on hope that Trump would hold back some of his wide ranging tariffs plans so that the US may avert an economic slowdown and rising inflation.
Meanwhile, the US 10-year yield inched higher at 4.338%.
Over in Hong Kong, the HSI managed to claw back earlier losses back to almost the 24,000 mark as bargain hunting activities emerged following a decline from its YTD high from the 24,800 level last week.
Market undertone seems robust despite the inherent concern over more Trump’s tariffs going forward.
Back home, the FBM KLCI closed slightly lower but managed to stay above the 1,500 mark as selling by foreign funds persisted amid a choppy session.
Outlook remains boring as the daily volume is still stuck at around the 3bn shares level.
In view of a lack of fresh funds, we believe the index to hover within the 1,500- 1,510 range again today.

Market Reports