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.
Chinese authorities are intensifying efforts to manage the world’s third-largest government bond market, implementing a series of interventions to cool a rally that has driven yields to record lows. The latest move saw regulators in Jiangxi province instruct rural banks not to settle recent government bond purchases, effectively forcing them to renege on their market obligations. Key Highlights: Regulatory Intervention: This unusual directive is part of a broader strategy by Chinese regulators to curb the bond market's surge, which had driven the benchmark 10-year yield to an all-time low of 2.12% earlier this month. The yield has since increased to around 2.22%. Market Risks: The interventions are aimed at mitigating the exposure of banks to interest-rate risks and preventing the formation of a bond bubble, which could threaten financial stability. The Chinese government is attempting to strike a balance between supporting the sluggish economy with low borrowing costs and avoi...