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.
On July 5, 2024, Wall Street reached new intraday all-time highs, while U.S. Treasurys rallied. This movement followed a nonfarm payrolls report that further supported the case for Federal Reserve interest rate cuts, coming after a mid-week holiday. The benchmark S&P 500 gained 0.29%, reaching 5,553.05 points in midday trading, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.75% to 18,325.49 points. However, the Dow experienced a slight decline, down 0.19% at 39,234.47 points. Of the 11 S&P sectors, seven were in positive territory. Before the market opened, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that job growth slowed in June, with May's numbers revised lower. Additionally, the unemployment rate increased to 4.1% from 4.0%. According to Wells Fargo's Sarah House, the underlying details indicate a softening U.S. labor market. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, emphasized on social media that it is time for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. He po...