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.
US import prices fell by the most in nine months in September, driven by a sharp drop in energy costs, signaling a benign inflation outlook that keeps the Federal Reserve on track to continue cutting interest rates. According to the Labor Department , import prices excluding fuel barely rose over the past three months, offering further evidence that inflationary pressures are muted. Import prices slipped 0.4% last month , the largest drop since December 2023, after a revised 0.2% decline in August. The 12-month decline was 0.1% , marking the first annual drop in seven months. The cost of imported fuels and lubricants plunged 7% , driven by a 7.1% fall in petroleum prices and a 14.5% drop in natural gas prices . Excluding fuel, import prices inched up 0.1% for the third consecutive month. Food prices also declined 1.5% , largely due to a 12.2% drop in vegetable prices . Excluding both fuel and food, core import prices rose 0.3% , signaling stable underlying costs. The data support...