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 fluctuated on Monday as investors wrestled with varying interpretations of China’s weekend promises for economic stimulus. While the pledges were broad, details on the overall scale of the measures were lacking, leaving investors uncertain about the longevity of a potential stock market rally. At a closely-watched news conference on Saturday, China's Minister of Finance, Lan Foan, vowed to "significantly increase" debt , yet the absence of specifics caused differing reactions among market participants. Morgan Stanley analysts noted that onshore investors viewed Beijing’s restructuring of local government and housing debt as more impactful than foreign investors did. The divergence was visible in Monday’s trading session. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index opened slightly lower , while mainland China's CSI 300 index surged 1.6% . Property stocks onshore and offshore fared well, with the Hang Seng Mainland Properties Index gaining 2.2% and the CSI 300 Real Estat...