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.
Key Takeaways • 30-year JGB yield jumped to a record 3.28% as global long-dated bonds sold off. • US 30-year Treasury yield rose to 4.98%, near July highs, while 10-year Treasury at 4.28%. • Concerns over widening government deficits and heavy bond issuance fueling yield surge. • Gold spiked to a new all-time high of US$3,546.99 as investors sought safe havens. • Focus shifts to US nonfarm payrolls, Fed rate decision, and European services PMI. Bonds • Japan: 30-year JGB yield +8bps to 3.28%, record high, ahead of Thursday’s debt auction. • US: 10-year Treasury yield at 4.281%, 30-year near 5%, tracking deficit fears and issuance pressures. • UK: 30-year gilt yield hit highest since 1998 after debt sale; 10-year yield peaked at 17-year high. Equities • Asia: MSCI Asia ex-Japan +0.1%; Nikkei –0.5% on tech weakness. • Australia: S&P/ASX 200 –0.9% after soft Q2 GDP data. • Futures: Euro Stoxx 50 +0.6%, DAX +0.5%, FTSE +0.3%, S&P 500 e-minis +0.1%. Currencies • USD/JPY +0.3% ...