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.
Oil prices edged higher Thursday after OPEC+ delayed unwinding production cuts for the second time, aiming to stabilize the market amid global oversupply and sluggish demand from China. Market Reaction WTI crude (January) : +$0.35 (0.5%) to $68.89/bbl. Brent crude (February) : +$0.53 (0.7%) to $72.84/bbl. Natural gas (January) : +2.3% to $3.115/MMBtu. The production cuts, initially planned for January, will now begin in April 2025. Full implementation is pushed back to September 2026 , marking a slower unwinding pace than earlier planned. Expert Insights David Oxley, Capital Economics : Delaying production increases buys OPEC+ time but doesn’t resolve weak global demand. Risks to oil prices remain skewed downward. Robert Yawger, Mizuho Securities : OPEC+ appears to wait for Chinese demand recovery , a strategy that could take time. Jefferies Analysts : OPEC+ is unlikely to boost supply until the market can absorb it, especially without a reduction in Iranian exports . Broader Context ...