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.
Asian markets traded mixed on Friday as Wall Street’s pullback and cooling commodity prices tempered sentiment ahead of key central bank meetings and U.S. earnings season. The MSCI Asia-Pacific ex-Japan index slipped 0.2%, paring weekly gains that have put the region on course for one of its strongest years in a decade. Hong Kong shares led losses, down 1.1%, while South Korea’s KOSPI rose 1.7% and Australia eased 0.1%. Regional strength this year has been underpinned by robust AI hardware demand and a surge in manufacturing orders linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff and industrial policies . Wall Street and Fed Outlook U.S. markets ended lower overnight, with traders booking profits in high-momentum trades including gold, silver, crypto, and AI stocks , after a sharp multi-week rally. Futures pointed to a steadier tone, with S&P 500 e-minis up 0.2% in early Asia trade. The 10-year U...