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.
Vietnam's President To Lam pledged to enhance the country's semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI) industries during meetings with top US corporations in New York. These efforts come as Vietnam seeks to attract more investment from American tech firms and other leading companies. On his first visit to the US as president, Lam is scheduled to meet with US President Joe Biden later on Wednesday. In earlier meetings, he engaged with companies such as Apple , Meta , Blackstone , and Warburg Pincus . Meta's Nick Clegg, President of Global Affairs, shared plans to produce virtual reality glasses in Vietnam, reflecting the country's growing appeal to global tech firms. At a business forum, Lam signed cooperation agreements with US firms in areas like energy , AI , and a data center , further underlining Vietnam’s commitment to advancing its digital economy . Other participants included representatives from Amazon , Visa , Procter & Gamble , and AES . Ted...