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.
Asian equities began the week on a subdued note as high U.S. Treasury yields tested Wall Street's lofty valuations, keeping the U.S. dollar near multi-month highs. Market Performance : MSCI Asia-Pacific Index dipped 0.2% but remains 16% up for the year. Japan’s Nikkei slid 0.9%, still boasting a 20% annual gain. Chinese blue chips rose 0.3%, with most of their 16% yearly gain achieved after Beijing’s September stimulus promises. South Korea's index edged up 0.3% but is down 9% for the year, weighed by political uncertainties and events like Jeju Air’s recent plane crash. Global Futures : EUROSTOXX 50 futures gained 0.1%. U.S. futures saw slight declines, with S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures down 0.1%. Economic Drivers and Concerns U.S. Treasury Yields : Yields on 10-year Treasuries are near eight-month highs at 4.631%, up 75 basis points for the year. Rising yields reflect revised expectations of less restrictive monetary policy, raising concerns about potential impacts on corpo...