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.
Executive View Singapore’s macro backdrop entering 2026 is constructively stable . Growth has surprised to the upside, inflation remains contained, and policy credibility is intact. As a result, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is positioned to remain on hold in the near term , preserving optionality rather than pre-committing to either easing or tightening. For investors, this environment supports measured risk-taking , selective exposure to Singapore equities and SGD assets , and a bias toward policy-resilient sectors rather than directional macro bets. Policy Anchor: Why MAS Can Stay Patient Singapore’s 2025 GDP growth of 4.8% materially exceeded trend expectations, driven by: Sustained semiconductor and electronics demand AI-linked memory pricing strength Resilient regional trade flows At the same time, core inflation near ~1% sits comfortably within MAS’s tolerance band, reducing the need ...