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.
Defense stocks surged Friday as markets reacted swiftly to Israel’s military air strikes on Iranian nuclear and missile sites — a move that has significantly raised the risk of a wider war in the Middle East. The sudden escalation sent investors rushing into defense and aerospace names, betting on heightened demand for weapons systems, surveillance tech, and military support. Missile Strikes, Market Moves With Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu warning of more attacks to come and U.S. President Trump pushing Iran to agree to a new nuclear deal, the defense sector lit up green across the board. Topping the leaderboard were U.S. defense giants: Lockheed Martin (LMT) +3.6% Northrop Grumman (NOC) +3.5% RTX Corp. (RTX) +3.2% All three have deep supply ties to Israel via U.S. military contracts and were among the top 15 gainers in the S&P 500 on Friday. Broader Rally in the Sector Momentum wasn’t limited to the big three. Other beneficiaries of the rising geopolitical tens...