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.
Malaysia’s distributive trade slowed to a 9-month low in May, with year-on-year (YoY) growth easing to 4.4% (from 4.7% in April). Despite this moderation, the sales value reached an all-time high of RM154.3 billion , reflecting continued consumer resilience, buoyed by festive and seasonal spending. Sector Highlights Retail Trade (Still Strong) Growth accelerated to 4.9% YoY , helped by: Household equipment (+5.6%) Specialised stores (+5.2%) Cultural & recreation goods (+3.8%) Motor Vehicles (Slowing) Growth decelerated to 1.2% YoY (from 2.1%) Weakness in: Motorcycle repairs (+8.2%) New vehicle sales (+0.2%) Parts & accessories (+2.1%) But monthly vehicle sales rose to 68,000 units (from 60,500) Wholesale Trade (Weakening) Marked a third straight month of decline: +4.7% YoY (from 5.5%) Dragged by: Agricultural raw materials Machinery and equipment Partially supported by: Ho...