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.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticized President Trump’s new 10% import tariff on Australian goods as “not the act of a friend,” but confirmed Canberra will not pursue reciprocal tariffs to avoid harming domestic consumers. What Happened U.S. imposed a 10% tariff on all Australian imports as part of Trump’s new universal tariff policy, effective April 5. Despite the U.S.–Australia Free Trade Agreement and longstanding alliance, Australia received no exemption . Trump publicly cited Australian beef exports —which surged to A$4 billion in 2024—as justification, arguing the U.S. is only "doing the same thing" in return for trade protections. Australia’s Response Albanese labeled the tariff “illogical” and incompatible with the U.S.-Australia partnership , but ruled out retaliation: No reciprocal tariffs due to fears of price inflation and weaker economic growth . Negotiation preferred over activating formal dispute mechan...