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.
Market Snapshot Malaysian technology counters surged on Monday, tracking a regional rally as dovish signals from the US Federal Reserve lifted optimism for a September rate cut. Bursa Malaysia Technology Index: +2%, highest since Feb 24, 2025 . Malaysian Pacific Industries (MPI): Jumped as much as 9% to RM27.74 , despite lingering earnings concerns. The move comes as capital inflows into Asia intensified, with investors positioning for potential monetary easing in the US. Drivers of the Rally Fed Pivot Hopes: Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s Jackson Hole remarks — that the outlook “may warrant adjusting the policy stance” — reinforced bets for a 25bps September rate cut . Lower rates reduce funding costs for capital-intensive tech firms and support growth-sector valuations. Wall Street Lead: Sentiment was buoyed by strong gains in the Magnificent Seven (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Broadcom, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia) last Friday. AI-relate...