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.
Key Takeaway: U.S. tariffs are compounding structural challenges in the global petrochemical industry, with executives warning of up to a 15% further drop in global trade , following a 34% decline over the past five years. Trade Under Pressure Ganesh Gopalakrishnan , head of petrochemical trading at TotalEnergies , said: If tariffs persist, global petrochemical trade could fall another 15% . Trading houses without physical assets are struggling to stay afloat. Overcapacity has already led to a 34% decline in trade volumes since 2020. Rising Protectionism Sanjiv Vasudeva , EVP & chief market officer at Haldia Petrochemicals , noted that: Tariffs are pushing governments toward more protectionist policies . Overcapacity and volatility make short-term investment planning difficult . China’s Market Impact Bahrin Asmawi , CCO of Petronas Chemicals Group (KL:PCHEM) , warned that tariffs are diverting Chinese petr...