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 Singapore stock market has posted gains for three consecutive sessions, advancing almost 80 points or 2.3% in that period. The Straits Times Index (STI) now sits just above the 3,530-point level and is expected to extend its gains again on Thursday. The global forecast for Asian markets is positive, supported by optimism over the outlook for interest rates. While European markets showed mixed results, U.S. markets were up, suggesting that Asian markets are likely to follow the positive lead from the U.S. On Wednesday, the STI finished modestly higher, buoyed by gains in financial shares, property stocks, and industrial issues . The index added 18.50 points or 0.52% to close at 3,531.17 , after trading between 3,517.56 and 3,536.12 . Active Stocks and Movements Among the actively traded stocks: CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust spiked 1.42% . CapitaLand Investment surged 2.15% . City Developments rose 0.19% . ComfortDelGro gained 0.68% . DBS Group collected 0.30% . ...