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.
Asian stocks firmed on Monday, buoyed by China's surprise decision to lower its 14-day repo rate by 10 basis points, just days after the central bank disappointed markets by not cutting longer-term rates. This move pushed Chinese blue chips up 0.5% , supporting regional market sentiment ahead of key central bank meetings expected to bring additional rate cuts and US inflation data that may signal further easing. With Japan closed for a holiday , trading volumes were thin. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 0.2%, following a strong 2.7% rebound last week. Nikkei futures traded higher, reflecting a continued rally from last week as the yen weakened, and the Bank of Japan (BOJ) signaled no rush to tighten policy further. In Europe, EUROSTOXX 50 futures rose 0.3%, and FTSE futures added 0.1%. In the US, S&P 500 futures were up 0.3%, while Nasdaq futures climbed 0.5%, reflecting optimism in the wake of the Federal Reserve's recent rat...