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.
Stocks hit new all-time highs , with investors eagerly awaiting corporate earnings to bolster confidence in a potential soft landing for the economy. The S&P 500 rose nearly 1% , marking its 46th record close of the year, driven by optimism about earnings reports from major companies. Despite reduced third-quarter forecasts , many believe that Corporate America will deliver positive surprises this earnings season. Analysts expect S&P 500 firms to post their weakest growth in a year, with an average 4.3% increase in earnings , according to Bloomberg Intelligence . However, corporate guidance suggests potential growth of around 16% , indicating companies could exceed expectations once again. Nvidia Corp , Apple Inc , and Tesla Inc led gains among megacap stocks , with Goldman Sachs and Citigroup advancing ahead of their quarterly earnings reports. The Nasdaq 100 added 0.8% , and the Dow Jones climbed 0.5% . Treasury futures dipped slightly , while the US dollar ed...