Oil prices rose nearly two per cent on Wednesday to a two-week high on concerns about global supplies after Washington issued new sanctions targeting Chinese importers of Iranian oil.

Cautious outlook: United planes preparing to take off at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. With demand slowing, US airlines have started cutting flights to avoid lowering fares and to protect margins.

Bursa Malaysia opened lower today, mirroring Wall Street’s overnight decline as investors stayed cautious due to ongoing economic uncertainties linked to the US tariff situation.

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President Donald Trump said there was "big progress" when he made the surprise move on Wednesday to negotiate directly with a Japanese trade delegation in Washington about the barrage of tariffs he has imposed on global imports.

The ringgit opened higher against the US dollar on Thursday, but trading remained range-bound as traders continued to monitor uncertainties surrounding US tariff policies.

Outflows from US-listed emerging market ETFs that invest across developing nations, as well as those that target specific countries, totalled US$5.57bil in the week ended April 11.

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