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.
Japan’s TOYO Co Ltd has announced plans to construct a two-gigawatt (GW) solar cell factory in Hawassa, Ethiopia , as part of its strategy to supply duty-free components to a planned solar panel factory in the United States . The investment comes in response to growing concerns over newly imposed US tariffs on solar products from Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, where TOYO currently manufactures its solar products. The decision to establish the Ethiopian facility is influenced by the tariff exemptions that Ethiopia enjoys, particularly for double-sided solar panels . The US recently imposed preliminary tariffs on solar panels and cells from Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand , and Cambodia , in an effort to bolster domestic clean energy production . TOYO's CEO, Junsei Ryu , expressed excitement about the project, which will help the company meet the needs of its planned US-based module facility . The Ethiopian plant, with an estimated investment of US$60 million (RM258 ...