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.
The eurozone's private sector failed to grow for the second consecutive month in October, as Germany and France — the bloc’s two largest economies — weighed on overall output, with no clear signs of recovery. The composite Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) , published by S&P Global, edged up slightly to 49.7 in October , from 49.6 in September, remaining below the 50 threshold that indicates contraction. This reading aligns with analysts' expectations and highlights ongoing concerns about the eurozone's economic health. Germany’s economy showed a slight improvement in its PMI, but continued struggles in France dragged down the overall region. German industrial giants are grappling with higher energy costs and reduced demand from China , while France's composite PMI slipped further to 47.3 , indicating worsening conditions. Despite small gains in the services sector, the eurozone remains stuck, with manufacturing output continuing to slump. Economists are ...