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.
Asian equities faced downward pressure on Friday morning after US stocks dropped past a key milestone, sending major indices into correction territory . The S&P 500 fell 1.4% to a six-month low, marking a 10% correction , the third straight week of losses. Similarly, the Nasdaq 100 also slipped by 1.9% , while Treasuries saw a rally. Key Market Movements: US stocks : The S&P 500’s correction led to a loss of $5 trillion from the benchmark's value, deepening losses in megacap tech stocks and junk bonds . An $8 billion ETF tracking junk bonds saw a significant loss, and Bitcoin also saw a dip before stabilizing in Asia. US tariffs : President Trump intensified his trade war rhetoric, threatening a 200% tariff on European wine and champagne . This was part of broader concerns over escalating t...