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 Takeaways The European Commission has proposed eliminating tariffs on US industrial goods as part of last month’s EU–US trade deal. In return, Washington reduced tariffs on EU-built cars to 15% from 27.5% , effective Aug 1. The move avoids a full-blown trade war, though the agreement remains asymmetric, with the EU making broader concessions. EU proposals also include limited agricultural openings, while maintaining protection on sensitive sectors like beef and poultry. Deal Structure The framework deal was struck on July 27 between US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The EU accepted a broad 15% tariff across many exports to avert Trump’s threatened 30% blanket duties on EU goods. While two-thirds of EU–US trade in industrial goods is already tariff-free, Brussels will now remove residual duties averaging 1.35% . For US farm produce, concessions include zero tariffs on potatoes , reduced t...