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.
Retail sales rose 0.7% in November , surpassing economists’ forecasts of 0.5%, according to the Census Bureau . This solid gain highlights strong consumer spending as the holiday shopping season kicked off. Key Insights Annual Growth : Retail sales climbed 3.8% year-over-year , showcasing steady momentum. Holiday Spending Strength : Despite a late Thanksgiving pushing Cyber Monday into December, holiday spending is off to a robust start . Cyber Week Sales : Adobe Analytics reported $41.1 billion in online sales during Cyber Week, an 8.2% increase from last year. What’s Driving the Growth? Consumer Resilience : Credit card data from Bank of America shows household spending grew 0.6% year-over-year in November. Shortened Season Impact : A delayed start to the holidays might mean higher weekly spending over a shorter season. Strong December Momentum : KeyBanc data shows the second-st...