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 equities advanced on Monday, led by Chinese stocks, as investors positioned for a dovish US Federal Reserve pivot and awaited Nvidia’s earnings later this week — a key test for lofty AI-driven valuations. The MSCI Asia-Pacific ex-Japan Index rose 1.5% , with Chinese blue chips up 1.4% to their highest since mid-2022. The rally in China has pushed the index almost 10% higher in August , despite persistent weakness in domestic demand and corporate pricing power, highlighting the liquidity-fuelled nature of gains. Elsewhere, Japan’s Nikkei gained 0.4% , South Korea climbed 1.1% , and Australia added 0.2% . Fed Pivot Drives Sentiment Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell ’s speech at Jackson Hole bolstered expectations of monetary easing: Futures now price an 84% probability of a 25bps cut in September , with at least 100bps of cumulative cuts by mid-2026 . The dovish tilt pressured Treasury ...