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 export growth slowed sharply in August but still managed to stay positive, driven by resilient demand for electrical and electronic (E&E) products. Market Snapshot Exports : +1.9% YoY (July: +6.5%), below consensus +3.0%. Imports : –5.9% YoY (July: +0.6%), steepest drop since Sept 2023. Trade surplus : RM16.1b (July: RM14.6b), beating forecasts. Total trade : –1.9% YoY, lowest in 20 months. Key Drivers E&E exports : +10.1% (July: +22.5%), making up 42.2% of total exports. Weak spots : Crude petroleum (–28.8%), petroleum products (–17.6%), LNG (–2.6%). Bright spots : Palm oil & related products rebounded +9.7%; agriculture overall +4.5%. Regional flows : US: –16.7% (sharpest in 20 months, hit by tariffs) China: +10.4% (supportive) Singapore: +2.7% (slower) Taiwan: +32.7% (slowed from prior surge) Imports Breakdown Retained imports : –12.4% (2nd straight month of decline). Intermediate goods : –16.8% Consumption goods : –8.9% Capital goods : +11.0% (July: +20.3%) O...