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 union representing over 10,000 Starbucks baristas announced strikes in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle starting Friday, citing unresolved issues around wages, staffing, and schedules. The five-day strike is the latest in a series of escalating labor actions across service industries. Key Points Strike Scale: Workers United, the union representing Starbucks employees at 525 stores , plans to escalate walkouts, potentially involving hundreds of stores nationwide by Christmas Eve. Negotiation Deadlock: Talks began in April under a February framework, with nine bargaining sessions and agreements on 30+ topics to date. The union rejected Starbucks' offer of no immediate wage hike and a 1.5% increase in future years, calling it insufficient. The union is demanding a 64% immediate wage increase and 77% over a three-year contract , which Starbucks deems "unsustainable." Broader Labor Context Rising Labor A...