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.
Despite President Donald Trump’s latest wave of tariffs — targeting US$3.2 trillion worth of imports — the S&P 500 remains close to record highs. Tariff Shock? Not Really Effective average tariff rate has jumped from 2.5% to 16% this year — a 6x increase , says UBS Chief Economist Jonathan Pingle . This could reduce U.S. GDP by 0.7 percentage points over four quarters — or even 1% if tariffs jump to 21% . Yet markets remain calm. Why Investors Aren’t Panicking Investors expect Trump’s “escalate to de-escalate” strategy — suggesting that most tariffs won’t stick. UBS believes that extended deadlines offer room for last-minute trade deals . An effective tariff ceiling around 18% is seen as manageable vs. a feared 21%. Earnings Reflect the Tension S&P 500 earnings growth forecasts have dropped to mid/high single digits , from mid-teens . 90...