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.
The FBM KLCI surged 1.16% to 1,535.73 , hitting a two-week high on Thursday, buoyed by gains in banking and energy stocks , even as Wall Street dipped on Trump’s proposed 25% tariffs on imported vehicles . Market Summary Wall Street Recap S&P 500: 5,693.31 ( -0.33% ) Dow Jones: 42,299.70 ( -0.37% ) Nasdaq: 17,804.03 ( -0.53% ) Market sentiment was cautious as Trump’s auto tariffs reignited trade tension fears , especially impacting the tech-heavy Nasdaq. Bursa Malaysia Highlights FBM KLCI: 1,535.73 ( +1.16% ) Top Gainer: Gamuda (RM4.32, +7.73%) Top Loser: Axiata (RM1.84, -1.60%) USD/MYR: 4.4315 ( +0.05% ) KLCI saw its strongest single-day gain since March 13 , reflecting local resilience and limited exposure to U.S. auto trade . Economic & Sectoral Developments Producer Price Index (PPI): Feb 2025 PPI growth slowed to 0.3% y-o-y (from 0.8% in Jan), driven by ...