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 Malaysian building material sector saw mixed price trends in June , with steel prices softening in many areas while cement costs crept upward across the board. Steel Prices: Sliding Downward Month-on-month , steel prices fell between -1.0% to -3.1% . Biggest drops: Pahang : -3.1% Sibu : -2.5% Pulau Pinang, Kedah & Perlis : -2.1% Bucking the trend: Selangor, KL, Melaka & Negeri Sembilan : +0.4% Miri : +0.3% Year-on-year , steel prices were down -5.1% to -15.5% compared to June 2024. Average steel price (mild steel + Mycon 60): RM3,480.10/MT in June, up slightly from RM3,476.75 in May. Cement Prices: Small but Steady Gains Month-on-month , cement prices rose 0.1% to 0.2% in all regions. Year-on-year , prices increased 0.3% to 3.7% , with top performers: Johor : +3.7% Tawau : +3.6% Pulau Pinang, Kedah & Perlis : +2.5% Average price of Ordinary Portland Cement : RM23.80 per 50kg bag in June, up from RM23...