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.
Singapore equities opened higher on Tuesday, tracking gains on Wall Street, while investors turn cautious ahead of a potential monetary policy tightening by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) amid rising oil-driven inflation pressures. STI Opens Higher Amid Positive Market Breadth The FTSE Straits Times Index rose 0.48% to 5,008.28 in early trade, supported by broad-based buying. Market internals were positive, with 110 advancers versus 23 decliners , as trading activity reached 99.36 million shares worth S$67.26 million . Wall Street Rally Driven by AI and Chip Stocks Overnight, US markets advanced, led by technology stocks: Nasdaq Composite +1.2% S&P 500 +1.0% Dow Jones Industrial Average +0.6% Gains were fueled by AI and semiconductor names , including Intel and Nokia . Investor sentiment improved after Donald Trump signaled that Iran may be open to negotiations , easing some ge...