KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia ended higher on Tuesday, outperforming most regional markets as investors continued to rotate towards commodity and plantation-related stocks, an analyst said. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 7.47 points, or 0.43 per cent, to 1,733.36 compared with Monday’s close of 1,725.89. The benchmark index opened 1.63 points higher at 1,727.52, and fluctuated between 1,723.60 and 1,734.53 throughout the day. On the broader market, losers outpaced gainers 762 to 438, while 576 counters were unchanged, 1,075 untraded and 16 suspended. Turnover expanded to 3.74 billion units valued at RM2.91 billion from 3.45 billion units valued at RM2.74 billion on Monday.
Key Takeaway: Nebius Group NV ( NBIS ) surged after announcing a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure agreement with Microsoft (MSFT) , a deal analysts say validates the neocloud model and could pave the way for more partnerships with hyperscalers and AI firms. Deal Overview Nebius signed a US$17.4 billion agreement with Microsoft through 2031 , with the potential to rise to US$19.4 billion if additional services are added. The deal will provide dedicated cloud capacity to Microsoft from a new Vineland, N.J. data center starting later this year. The structure allows Microsoft to expand Azure cloud capacity without significant capital expenditure, while Nebius will finance its data-center buildout through cash flows from the deal and debt secured against the contract . Analyst Views Validation Moment: D.A. Davidson analyst Alex Platt called the agreement a turning point for Nebius, noting it positions the ...