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.
Crosscurrents Persist, But Capital Finds Direction Despite macro headwinds from Trump’s tariff escalations , weakening U.S. consumer data, and oil volatility, global equity markets posted broad gains last week. In Asia, investor sentiment remained bifurcated: institutional flows favored safety and policy plays , while retail flows leaned toward speculative opportunities . Asia Fund Flow Summary (Last 5 Days) Market Net Inflow/Outflow (USD) Key Drivers India +$1.52B Resilient consumption, soft CPI Thailand +$105.5M Dovish central bank tone Malaysia +RM33.2M (USD ~$7M) Reversal after 5-week outflows South Korea -$1.35B Trade tensions, FX risk Philippines -$128M GDP downgrade Vietnam -$112M Slowing exports, FX pressures Malaysia Fund Flow Breakdown Foreigners: Net Buy: RM33.2M overall Top Picks: MAYBANK: +RM154M TENAGA: +RM130.7M WPRTS: +RM44.5M Locals: Institutions: +RM142.8M (defensive tilt: Financials, Utilities) Retail: -RM17...