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.
Singapore's consumer price inflation showed a slight uptick in November, with overall CPI rising 1.6% year-over-year, compared to 1.4% in October. However, core CPI , which excludes private road transport and accommodation, slowed to 1.9% from October’s 2.1% , reflecting moderating price pressures in key areas. Key Inflation Metrics Overall CPI: MoM: No change. YoY: Increased by 1.6% . Below the 1.85% forecast in a Wall Street Journal survey. Core CPI: YoY Growth: Slowed to 1.9% from 2.1% in October. Sectoral Breakdown Housing & Utilities: +2.6% YoY (24.80% index weight). Food: +2.4% YoY (21.10% index weight). Transport: +0.5% YoY (17.07% index weight). Recreation & Culture: +1.4% YoY. Education: +3.0% YoY. Miscellaneous Goods & Services: +0.4% YoY. Communication: -1.3% YoY (only sector with negative growth). Implications for M...