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.
Tariffs Trigger Regional Selloff Asian equities retreated Friday after the US imposed tariffs ranging from 10% to 41% on dozens of trading partners, adding pressure to already fragile sentiment. Key rates included 25% on India’s exports, 20% on Taiwan, 19% on Thailand and 15% on South Korea. Canada saw duties raised to 35%, while Mexico secured a 90-day reprieve for broader negotiations. Regional Impact MSCI Asia ex-Japan: -0.7%, weekly loss now at 1.8% South Korea Kospi: -3% Taiwan: -0.9% Nikkei: -0.4% China A-shares: flat; Hang Seng eked +0.2% Market Commentary Analysts noted the market reaction has been contained due to recent tariff deals with the EU, Japan and South Korea cushioning sentiment. “The market sees these tariffs as potentially negotiable and temporary,” said Tony Sycamore of IG. US Macro Focus: Jobs Report Attention now shifts to July non-farm payrolls. Consensus calls for +110,000 jobs and a jobless rate uptick to 4.2%. A stronger-than-expected report could erase the ...