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.
Private-sector hiring decelerated in November as the manufacturing sector struggled, according to the latest ADP National Employment Report released Wednesday. The report also noted accelerating wage growth for the first time in more than two years, a trend that could influence Federal Reserve policy. Job Growth Slows The private sector added 146,000 jobs in November, down from a revised 184,000 in October . The figure fell short of economists' expectations of 163,000 new jobs , as polled by The Wall Street Journal . "While overall growth for the month was healthy, industry performance was mixed," said ADP Chief Economist Nela Richardson . She highlighted manufacturing as particularly weak, alongside softness in financial services and leisure and hospitality. Employment by Company Size and Region Large Firms (500+ Employees): Led job growth, adding the most positions. Small Firms (<50 Employees): Lost jobs overall. Regional Gains: South: Recorded the highest job gr...