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.
Expanding White House Control President Donald Trump has been taking unprecedented steps to exert direct control over private companies — an approach more commonly seen in economic crises. His administration has negotiated ownership stakes, revenue-sharing deals, and veto power over corporate actions. So far, investors have mostly benefited , though the long-term outlook remains uncertain. Government-Backed Companies and Market Reactions Intel (INTC) The U.S. government took a 10% stake in Intel after Trump pressured its CEO to resign. Since the deal in August, Intel’s shares have risen 24% , far outpacing the S&P 500’s 1.8% gain in the same period. MP Materials (MP) The Department of Defense bought 15% of the rare earths miner. Shares have doubled since the news of government involvement, making rare earths one of the biggest winners. Lithium Americas Currently in talks with the government for a deal similar to...