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.
General Motors (GM) once again surpassed Wall Street expectations for its third-quarter results, thanks to robust sales of gasoline-engine trucks and SUVs and efforts to keep inventories lean. The automaker is on track to achieve annual earnings at the top end of its forecast range, driven by strong pricing and resilient consumer demand, despite broader economic concerns. GM’s adjusted earnings per share came in at US$2.96 , beating analysts' expectations of US$2.43 . The company reported revenue of US$48.8 billion , surpassing the forecast of US$44.6 billion . GM now expects to deliver between US$14 billion and US$15 billion in pre-tax profit for the year, an increase from its original forecast of US$12 billion to US$14 billion . GM CEO Mary Barra emphasized the company’s stability and forecasted that profits next year would remain similar to 2024 levels. This is reassuring to investors concerned about potential declines in the auto industry. Although GM anticipates softer...