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.
The Selangor government plans to build 60,000 affordable housing units under the Rumah Idaman initiative by 2027, according to Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari. He stated that the construction momentum is progressing well, with 40,000 units currently awaiting planning and building permissions, and 10,000 units already under construction. Amirudin shared these updates during the Rumah Idaman , Putra Idaman , and Saujana Idaman groundbreaking ceremony. The Rumah Idaman initiative is designed to meet the increasing demand for affordable homes, particularly for Malaysians in the bottom 40% (B40) and middle 40% (M40) income groups, catering primarily to first-home buyers and small families. The Putra Idaman project, a collaboration between Oriental Interest Bhd (OIB) and Permodalan Negeri Selangor Bhd (PNSB) , will feature 502 semi-furnished units across two apartment blocks, each priced at RM250,000 . Completion is expected in 2028 , with units designed to be spacious a...