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.
SoftBank Group Corp posted its biggest quarterly profit in two years, buoyed by successful IPOs in India. This gives founder Masayoshi Son the financial firepower for ambitious moves in artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors . SoftBank's Vision Fund earned ¥373 billion, bolstered by investments in Didi Global Inc , Coupang Inc , and Indian IPOs like Ola Electric Mobility and FirstCry . With India's IPO market thriving, SoftBank is in a "harvest season," as noted by analyst Devi Subhakesan . As SoftBank backs OpenAI with a US$500 million investment, CFO Yoshimitsu Goto highlighted its readiness for large AI investments, especially in sectors linked to chip design (via Arm Holdings), data centers , and robotics . SoftBank’s Vision Fund has shifted to a more focused approach, aligning with Son’s AI ambitions. The fund’s net asset value of ¥29 trillion signals its capacity for further growth in strategic tech sectors. SoftBank’s stock, sensitive to AI tr...