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: President Trump said Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the strike in Qatar, not the US. Trump assured Qatar’s Emir that such an incident “will not happen again,” signaling efforts to contain fallout with a key US ally. The strike killed five Hamas members in Doha , including the son of a senior Hamas leader. Qatar, a critical mediator in Gaza ceasefire and hostage negotiations, rejected US claims of prior warning. The escalation heightens geopolitical risk in the Gulf , with potential implications for energy markets and regional stability. US Seeks to Contain Fallout President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the Israeli airstrike in Qatar, aimed at Hamas leaders, was not an American decision but one taken by Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump emphasized that striking “inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the US” undermines both American and Israeli interests, even as he reiterated support for dism...