KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia closed almost flat on Tuesday as buying interest rotated away from index heavyweights towards smaller-cap construction stocks, with sentiment affected by geopolitical uncertainty, said an analyst. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 0.39 of a point to 1,714.40 from Monday’s close of 1,714.79. The benchmark index opened 1.65 points lower at 1,713.14 and moved between 1,710.44 and 1,714.50 throughout the trading session. The broader market was almost evenly balanced, with decliners leading gainers 548 to 546, while 598 counters were unchanged, 1,107 were untraded and 25 were suspended. Turnover expanded to 4.13 billion units valued at RM3.14 billion from 3.60 billion units valued at RM2.45 billion on Monday.
Markets Edge Lower Before Key CPI Report
Wall Street’s main indexes closed lower on Monday as investors positioned cautiously ahead of July’s consumer inflation data, due Tuesday. The report will help shape expectations for the Federal Reserve’s interest rate path in the coming months.
Dow Jones: -200.52 pts (-0.45%) to 43,975.09
S&P 500: -16.00 pts (-0.25%) to 6,373.45
Nasdaq Composite: -64.62 pts (-0.30%) to 21,385.40
Investors currently expect the Fed to cut rates by around 60 basis points by December, amid signs of labor market weakness and a shake-up in Fed leadership.
Tariffs and Trade Back in Focus
President Donald Trump signed an executive order extending a 90-day pause on sharply higher tariffs on Chinese imports, avoiding a potential escalation this week.
The agreement, which also enables U.S. semiconductor sales to China, is due to expire Tuesday. Notably, chipmakers Nvidia and AMD agreed to remit 15% of revenue from advanced chip sales to China to the U.S. government—a move analysts say could weigh on margins and set a precedent for taxing other critical exports.
Stock Movers
Micron Technology: +4% after raising Q4 revenue and profit forecasts.
Intel: +3.5% amid reports CEO Lip-Bu Tan visited the White House.
TKO Group: +10% after striking a $7.7B deal with Paramount to distribute UFC events exclusively for the next seven years.
Nvidia (-0.35%) & AMD (-0.28%): Volatile on chip levy news.
Market Breadth & Activity
Decliners outpaced advancers on both the NYSE and Nasdaq. Trading volume was lighter than average, with 15.5B shares changing hands versus a 20-session average of 18.3B.
Key Takeaways
Inflation Data in Spotlight – Tuesday’s CPI report could confirm whether tariff impacts are pushing consumer prices higher.
Rate Cut Expectations – Markets price in ~60 bps in Fed rate cuts by year-end.
Trade Truce Extended – Trump delays tariff hikes on China for 90 days, easing near-term trade tensions.
Chipmakers Face New Levy – 15% revenue share to U.S. government from advanced chip sales to China.
Selective Gains – Micron, Intel, and TKO rally despite broader market weakness.
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