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.
Global stocks fell on Wednesday after disappointing earnings reports from European giants LVMH and ASML , while the US dollar strengthened on expectations of a more gradual decline in US interest rates . ASML , a key supplier to chipmakers like TSMC and Samsung , reported a gloomy 2025 sales forecast, citing prolonged weakness in the semiconductor market outside AI . Its shares plunged, falling by the most in nearly 30 years and losing another 5% early Wednesday. Meanwhile, LVMH , heavily reliant on Chinese consumers, saw its shares drop after weaker-than-expected Q3 sales, pulling down the CAC 40 and STOXX 600 indices. Adding to the pressure, a Bloomberg News report revealed that US officials are considering a cap on AI chip exports to specific countries, further dragging down major chip indices in Japan, Taiwan , and South Korea . In the US, S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures were flat after Tuesday’s decline, but Michael Brown , market strategist at Pepperstone , suggested t...