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.
China’s credit expansion unexpectedly cooled in November, signaling mounting challenges for the nation’s economic recovery efforts despite government stimulus. Key Numbers and Missed Expectations Aggregate financing rose by 2.34 trillion yuan , below the median forecast of 2.7 trillion yuan and the 2.5 trillion yuan increase seen in November 2023. New loans by financial institutions totaled just 580 billion yuan , sharply missing the forecast of 995 billion yuan . Loans to the real economy —excluding financial institutions—fell to their lowest November level since 2009 , offsetting elevated government bond issuance. Economic Headwinds Despite recent signs of improvement in consumption and factory activity , overall confidence remains fragile. Policies implemented so far have not been sufficient to lift the economy out of deflationary pressures. Corporate mid- and long-term loans , a measure of business i...