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.
BMW AG reported a dip in profitability for the second quarter as U.S. tariffs and weaker sales in China pressured earnings. The German luxury carmaker’s automotive operating margin slipped to 5.4% , slightly above analyst expectations but down from previous levels. Key Points: Tariff Impact: President Donald Trump’s trade war is expected to shave 1.25 percentage points off BMW’s 2025 margins. China Slump: Increasing competition from domestic EV makers like BYD is squeezing BMW’s market share and pricing in its largest market. Shares: Fell as much as 2.1% in Frankfurt Thursday but remain up 6.2% year-to-date . Outlook: BMW maintained its full-year auto margin guidance of at least 5% , making it one of the few European automakers not cutting forecasts this season. Porsche, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz have all downgraded outlooks amid trade-related costs. The company plans to counter tariff effects with cost-saving m...