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.
After months of tame inflation, June CPI data is expected to show a shift , thanks to tariff-driven price pressures filtering into the system. According to Bloomberg’s survey, core CPI (ex-food & energy) likely rose 0.3% month-on-month , the biggest jump in five months. On a yearly basis, core inflation is forecast to tick up to 2.9% , marking the first acceleration since January. The inflation uptick is a red flag for the Fed — and for rate cut hopes. Tariffs → Higher Import Costs → Rising Prices While the pass-through from tariffs remains modest for now, economists warn that this could build gradually over the next quarters , especially if importers continue to pass on costs. But don’t expect aggressive pricing yet — retailers are facing soft consumer demand and a cooling job market , making it risky to raise prices too quickly. Consumer Spending Remains Cautious Retail sales data due Thursday will show ...