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 Ministry of Finance (MOF) announced that the Budi95 targeted fuel subsidy has been extended to boat users in Sarawak , following its rollout to Sabah fishermen last week. Under the latest expansion, over 1,400 registered private boat users in Sarawak are now eligible for Budi95, based on data from the Sarawak Rivers Board and state agencies. At the same time, the monthly fuel ceiling for full-time e-hailing drivers has been doubled from 300 to 600 litres , benefiting more than 53,900 drivers nationwide. Launched in late September, Budi95 enables eligible Malaysians to purchase RON95 petrol at RM1.99 per litre , capped at 300 litres per month, as part of the government’s subsidy rationalisation initiative . The programme has since expanded to cover fishermen, private boat owners, and e-hailing drivers with higher quotas. The MOF said over 16 million Malaysians are n...