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 Takeaways: Positive Momentum in Chip Stocks: Semiconductor stocks saw a significant rally recently, with Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) leading the charge. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) surged by 3%, and most of its components, including AMD, outperformed the broader market. This optimism comes amid reports that the U.S. may narrow the scope of some of its planned tariffs, providing relief to investors. The Tariff Situation: While the narrowing of tariffs is positive for chip stocks, semiconductor companies still face uncertainty due to ongoing AI export restrictions . These rules, issued during the final weeks of the Biden administration, could add bureaucratic hurdles and limitations on AI chip sales, particularly affecting companies like NVIDIA (NVDA) . The Trump Administration's Stance on AI Chips: Ben Reitzes , an analyst at Melius Research, points out that the Trump administration ...