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.
Foreign investors are exiting Indonesian stocks for the 15th straight session , marking an equity outflow of US$891 million (RM3.96 billion) so far in November, according to Bloomberg data. This has pushed the nation’s benchmark equity index to the brink of a correction, dropping 9% from its record high on Sept 19 . The retreat is fueled by a stronger US dollar and higher treasury yields , triggered by expectations that President-elect Donald Trump’s policies will heighten US inflation and limit Federal Reserve rate cuts . The rupiah has weakened 1% this month, while foreign investors have also sold US$810 million worth of Indonesian government bonds , poised for their first monthly outflow since April . “What was initially a major tailwind for ASEAN , such as a weaker dollar and lower rate...