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.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised its growth forecast for the Asia-Pacific region but cautioned that escalating U.S.–China trade tensions could derail momentum in one of the world’s most interconnected regions. Asia’s Resilient Growth Amid Tariff Headwinds According to Krishna Srinivasan , Director of the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, Asia’s economy is expected to grow 4.5% in 2025 , slightly down from 4.6% in 2024 but 0.6 percentage point higher than the IMF’s April estimate . Growth is projected to moderate to 4.1% in 2026 . “The region is once again set to contribute about 60% of global growth, both this year and in 2026,” Srinivasan said. Despite facing U.S. tariffs, Asia’s economic activity has remained stronger than expected , driven by front-loaded exports , intra-regional trade , and a technology boom led by artificial intelligence (AI) demand in South Kore...