KUALA LUMPUR: Despite cautious sentiment on the global economic outlook, the local equity market has rebounded to record a net foreign buying this week, after the 25th consecutive week of net foreign selling.

Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd economist Adam Mohamed Rahim said from Monday to Thursday, international investors acquired RM76.8 million net of local equities compared to the RM937.5 million net disposed from Monday-Friday period in the preceding week.

"Bursa Malaysia started the week on a positive note as international investors snapped up RM54.6 million net of local equities on Monday, snapping the eight-day selling spree on the local bourse.

"Bargain-hunting occurred at the start of the week following the announcement of July’s US non-farm payrolls on the previous Friday which rose by 1.8 million in July,” he told Bernama.

However, he said the tables were turned on Tuesday as foreign investors dumped RM103.3 million net of local equities, dragging the FBM KLCI down 0.4 per cent lower to 1,564.

"Trading volume reached another record high of 27.8 billion shares on Tuesday with a total value of only RM7.6 billion, indicating that penny stocks were still in focus,” he said.

He added that another bout of foreign net inflow worth RM19.8 million was observed on Wednesday amidst hope of that a vaccine against the COVID-19 pandemic has been approved by Russia.

Notwithstanding, he said the FBM KLCI index settled -0.5 per cent lower at 1,556.6 points on Wednesday as rubber glove counters took a hit, pushing the Bursa Healthcare Index -6.3 per cent lower to be the biggest laggard among other sectors.

Moreover, Adam said the sentiment was mixed due to concerns over whether US lawmakers would strike an agreement on an additional round of big fiscal stimulus to support the nation’s economy that is struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The momentum of foreign net buying accelerated to RM105.7 million on Thursday, the highest in more than a month, coinciding with the FBM KLCI index’s 1.3 per cent jump to close at 1,576.4 points.

"The positive vibes were sparked by the overnight gains in US stocks, extending a steady August rally that has pushed the S&P 500 index to the cusp of its first record close since the coronavirus pandemic which brought the economy to a halt,” he said.

In comparison to its Asean peers, namely Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, he said Malaysia has the second highest foreign net outflow of RM19.7 billion after Thailand on a year-to-date basis.

On a weekly basis, the FBM KLCI declined 13.55 points to end at 1,564.59. - Bernama