Category: General

KUALA LUMPUR,, The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) futures contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives traded higher this morning. At 9.56 am, the spot month July 2024 contract added 1.0 point to 1,615.5, August 2024 inched up half-a-point to 1,617.5, September 2024 rose 1.5 points to 1,601.5, and December 2024 increased 3.0 points to 1,610.0. Turnover amounted to 3,154 lots while open interest stood at 56,414 contracts. At 10.07 am, the FBM KLCI inched up 0.55 of-a-point to 1,612.49 from yesterday’s close of 1,611.94. Source: BERNAMA News Agency

MANILA: Secretary Alfredo Pascual has stepped down as head of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Wednesday. In a statement posted on social media, the PCO said Pascual’s resignation will take effect on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has met with Pascual at Malacañan Palace to accept his resignation, the PCO said. Pascual will return to the private sector, it said. ‘His focus on MSMEs was absolutely correct, and we are beginning to see the fruits of that policy. We are sorry to lose him, but we respect his

BACOLOD CITY: A 64-year-old combatant of the New People’s Army (NPA) was killed during an encounter with troops of the Philippine Army’s 15th Infantry Battalion (IB) in Barangay Basak, Cauayan, Negros Occidental on Monday. The 3rd Infantry Division (ID) said in a report on Wednesday that Ramon Moico Enseniales, with aliases Art and Bugtong, was considered a remnant of the dismantled South West Front (SWF). He was killed during a two-minute encounter between the soldiers and about five NPA rebels Monday noon, according to Maj. Gen. Marion Sison, commander of the 3ID. He said the collaboration between the 15IB troops

MANILA: The European Union (EU) has released EUR1.2 million or PHP76 million in humanitarian aid for victims of the floods that hit Mindanao over the past month. In a statement dated July 30, the EU Delegation in Manila said the funding would help address the most pressing needs of people on the island, the hardest hit following several days of heavy rain caused by the southwest monsoon and the intertropical convergence zone. ‘The beginning of this year’s monsoon and typhoon season is proving very hard for people in the Philippines, and the EU is stepping up its assistance to the

KUALA LUMPUR,, The ringgit opened firmer against the US dollar, hitting the RM4.61 level for a fresh seven-month high, and economists anticipate a further strengthening as investors await the outcome of the Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) two-day meeting later today. At 8.01 am, the ringgit rose to 4.6180/6235 against the greenback from Tuesday’s close of 4.6330/6400. A boost in global market sentiment and strong domestic economic prospects have bolstered the local currency. Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said the decline in US Treasury yields, which fell four basis points, indicated that more investors