Malaysian shares finished lower for a sixth straight session on Friday, mirroring Wall Street's performance overnight, amid concerns about US interest rates.
The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI, the main gauge of Malaysian stocks, shed 7.58 points to end 0.47% lower at 1,596.68.
The index opened higher but erased those small gains throughout the day. The day's range was between 1,595.36 and 1,612.31.
In economic news, Malaysia's official reserve assets amounted to $112.79 billion as of the end of April, while other foreign currency assets amounted to $403.7 million, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) said Friday.
Meanwhile, the central bank appointed Mohamad Ali Iqbal Abdul Khalid as assistant governor, effective June 1. BNM said he would spearhead investment operations, the financial market, and foreign exchange policy departments.
In corporate news, Petroliam Nasional's (PETRONAS) profit after tax dropped to 21.3 billion ringgit in the first quarter from 23.8 billion ringgit a year earlier, bearing the brunt of instability of the macroeconomics and geopolitical dynamics.
Shares of renewable energy solutions provider Compugates Holdings (KLSE:COMPUGT) slumped 25%, while those of Nexgram Holdings (KLSE:NEXGRAM) dropped 20% on Friday's close.