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.
Japan’s ruling coalition failed to gain the support of a key opposition party, threatening Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s ability to pass the 2025 state budget and tax reform bills through parliament. Key Highlights 1. Income Tax Threshold Dispute Proposed Threshold : The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and coalition partner Komeito suggested raising the tax-free income threshold from ¥1.03 million to ¥1.23 million , the first adjustment since 1995. Opposition’s Demand : The Democratic Party for the People (DPP) is pushing for a much higher threshold of ¥1.78 million to better address rising living costs. DPP’s Stance : "With the planned ¥1.23 million threshold, there is no way for us to support the state budget," said DPP lawmaker Yuichiro Tamaki . 2. Revenue Implications Proposed Hike Impact : LDP's plan: Reduce tax revenue by ¥700 billion . DPP’s demand: Estimated revenue reduction of...