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.
Investors withdrew a net US$5.83 billion (RM25.46 billion) from US equity funds in the week leading up to Oct 30, marking the most significant outflow since late September. This retreat was likely fueled by market caution ahead of the US presidential election and the Federal Reserve's policy announcement scheduled for Wednesday. Key Highlights: Growth and Value Fund Selloffs : US growth funds experienced a US$4.06 billion net outflow, the largest since early October, while value funds saw US$2.19 billion in outflows. Sector-specific Flows : Outflows : Industrial (US$779 million), gold and precious metals (US$392 million), and healthcare sectors (US$278 million). Inflows : Consumer discretionary sector attracted a net US$478 million. Bond Fund Inflows : US bond funds recorded inflows for the 22nd consecutive week, with US$7.37 billion invested. Short-to-intermediate investment-grade funds gained US$3.18 billion. Money Market Fund Activity : US money market funds saw net sales of US$...