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.
Singapore has fired another round in its ongoing war against property speculation. With the government extending the Seller’s Stamp Duty (SSD) holding period to four years and raising the top rate to 16% , the property landscape is shifting once again—and with it, the outlook for several SGX-listed stocks. While these measures aim to ensure a more sustainable housing market, investors must reassess their exposure to real estate-related counters in the short to medium term. Potentially Impacted Stocks 1. Real Estate Developers These stocks are likely to see immediate sentiment-driven pullbacks due to anticipated demand softening, especially from short-term investors and speculators. City Developments Limited (C09) UOL Group Limited (U14) GuocoLand (F17) Oxley Holdings (5UX) – already sensitive to policy risk due to higher leverage and reliance on local buyers Expect slower take-up rates for new launches and margin pressure...