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 Takeaway The Straits Times Index (STI) climbed to an all-time peak of 4,301.63 on Sept 4, extending its YTD gain to +13.5% . Dovish global monetary expectations and supportive domestic policies are fueling momentum, with banks, telecoms, and S-REITs leading the charge. Market Drivers Global Tailwinds : Fed & ECB rate cut expectations driving flows into rate-sensitive assets. Policy Support : MAS’s S$5B Securities Market Development Plan boosting liquidity and investor confidence. Sector Rotation : Banks and REITs benefiting from narrowing yield spreads. Market Leaders (Last 20 Trading Days) Singtel (Z74.SG) : +9.5%, supported by yield appeal and FCF strength. YZJ Shipbuilding (BS6.SG) : +8.1%, on stronger order flows. Jardine C&C (C07.SG) : +7.6%, on rising consumer confidence. Banks (DBS, OCBC, UOB) : Contributed 0.6–1.4% each to STI’s latest 5-day rise as net interest margin outlook improves. Telecoms (Singtel, StarHub) : Defensive yields attr...