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 26 poorest countries in the world, which are home to 40% of the most poverty-stricken people , are now in more debt than at any time since 2006, and are increasingly vulnerable to natural disasters and other economic shocks, according to a new World Bank report released on Sunday. The report highlights that these economies are poorer today than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic , even as the rest of the world has largely recovered. This represents a significant setback in global efforts to eradicate extreme poverty . The study, released ahead of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meetings in Washington, emphasizes the World Bank’s efforts to raise US$100 billion to replenish the International Development Association (IDA) , which provides financing to the world’s poorest countries. The 26 nations in the study, with annual per-capita incomes below US$1,145 , rely heavily on IDA grants and low-interest loans as access to market financing has dim...