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.
Taiwan stocks fell to a six-week low on Friday, driven by a global sell-off in tech stocks over concerns of stretched valuations. Meanwhile, other Asian equities showed signs of recovery from previous session losses. Key Points: Taiwan Stock Performance: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) dropped 5.6%, marking its worst session since mid-April. Taiwan's benchmark index fell 3.3%, logging a second consecutive weekly loss of 3.3%. The Taiwanese market had been closed for two days due to Typhoon Gaemi. Regional Stock Movements: MSCI's gauge of Asian emerging market equities fell 0.4%, reaching its lowest level since mid-June. TSMC comprises just over 12% of this index. A broader index of Asian shares extended its 1.9% drop from the previous day, with both indexes set for a second straight weekly loss. Global Tech Stock Concerns: Investors are pulling out of global tech stocks due to US-China trade tensions, implications of a potential Donald Trump presidency, disapp...