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.
Approaching a Milestone Ether ( ETHUSD ) is just 3% shy of its all-time high of $4,865.81 from November 2021, riding the coattails of Bitcoin’s repeated record peaks this year. As of Wednesday, ether traded around $4,715 , up 29% in the past five days and 41.9% year-to-date . By contrast, Bitcoin ( BTCUSD ) hovered near $122,536 , just below its $123,165.67 record, with gains of 6.3% over five days and 31.2% YTD . Fueling the Rally Both cryptos are benefitting from: Risk-on sentiment following an in-line U.S. inflation report , which boosted market expectations for a September Fed rate cut (91.8% probability vs. 57.4% a month ago). Record highs for BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) and iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) ETFs. Corporate treasury interest , with some firms now allocating funds not just to bitcoin, but also to ether a...