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.
Asian trading opened cautiously after mixed U.S. tech earnings and a Federal Reserve signal of a potential rate pause , while local equities found support from selective buying in blue chips. Overnight on Wall Street Global markets took a breather as tech results sent mixed signals . Meta Platforms (–11.3%) plunged after outlining higher AI spending and a one-time tax hit, despite beating profit forecasts. Microsoft (–2.9%) slipped on investor concerns over rising AI capital expenditure. In contrast, Amazon (+13% after hours) surged after reporting its fastest AWS growth in nearly three years , while Apple (+2% after hours) offered a strong holiday quarter outlook . Major indices retreated: Nasdaq Composite: 23,581.14 (–1.57%) S&P 500: 6,822.34 (–0.99%) Dow Jones: 47,522.12 (–0.23%) A brief U.S.–China trade thaw provided some relief, with a 10% U.S. tariff cut and ...