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.
A selloff in major technology companies halted the S&P 500’s seven-day rally , with the index falling 0.4% from all-time highs. The Nasdaq 100 dropped 0.9% , while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.3% . Declines were fueled by disappointing earnings from Dell Technologies and HP Inc , which fell over 11% , and news of a Federal Trade Commission antitrust investigation into Microsoft Corp . Key Market Drivers: Inflation Data: The Fed’s preferred core inflation measure rose 2.8% year-on-year , aligning with estimates but underscoring “sticky” inflation . This bolstered the Fed’s stance of maintaining rates, despite healthy economic expansion . 10-Year Treasury Yields: Declined six basis points to 4.25% , while the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.7% . Bitcoin: Surged amid broader...