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.
Japanese stocks surged on Monday following the yen's sharp decline against the dollar after a strong US jobs report . The Nikkei 225 Stock Average jumped 2% to 39,408.59 , and the Topix index rose 1.5% to 2,735.15 in early trading. The yen fell to 149.13 per dollar , its weakest level since mid-August, after dropping more than 1% on Friday. The positive reaction stems from the strengthening US economy and a growing rate gap between the US and Japan , according to Shoji Hirakawa , chief global strategist at Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Lab Co. The Nikkei futures also rose 2.5% following the report showing 254,000 new US jobs in September , the highest in six months, alongside a drop in the unemployment rate. The yen's weakness benefits export-driven Japanese companies , particularly in the automobile and technology sectors , which were pressured last week by volatility in the currency.