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.
Japan has renewed calls for China to broaden its outbound investment scheme, highlighting growing demand among mainland investors for exposure to Japanese equities. Satoru Shibata, an adviser to Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) on China matters, voiced the request during a Tokyo forum on Friday. Citing “strong enthusiasm” from Chinese investors, Shibata emphasized the need to expand the Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor (QDII) programme — a key channel that enables Chinese firms to invest in overseas assets within government-imposed limits. 🗣️ "Local demand for Japanese shares is strong. A further expansion of the quota is necessary," Shibata said, noting that the view was his own and not official policy. Growing Appetite Meets Limited Access Chinese interest in Japanese equities surged last year as China’s domestic stock markets faced headwinds. A buying frenzy of Japan-focused ETFs by Chinese investors triggered trading halts and all...