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.
Government Data Shock President Trump fired top BLS official Erika McEntarfer after Friday’s weak jobs report, raising alarm bells on Wall Street. Investors fear politicization of economic data may erode trust in inflation and labor stats — long considered the bedrock of U.S. markets. 🔥 “Are we becoming like Turkey or Argentina?” – Alejandra Grindal, Ned Davis Research Market Impact So Far S&P 500 jumped +1.5% on Monday as traders stayed focused on Fed rate cut bets. But economists warn the real damage could be long-term : higher borrowing costs, weaker dollar, and fading investor confidence in Treasuries and TIPS. Data Integrity in Focus JPMorgan calls it a “threat to market trust” on par with Fed interference. UBS warns it could accelerate the dollar’s decline as a global reserve currency. Private data players like PriceStats and Carlyle’s alt-data tools may gain traction — but can’t fully replace decades of BLS history . Credibility at Risk $2.1T in...