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.
Malaysia’s economy expanded by 5% in Q4 2024 , surpassing the 4.8% forecast and driven by a strong services sector, resilient household spending, and investment growth . 📊 Key Economic Highlights 🔹 Q4 2024 GDP Growth: 5% y-o-y (above the 4.8% estimate). 🔹 Full-year 2024 GDP Growth: 5.1% , up from 3.6% in 2023 but slightly below the 5.4% growth in Q3 2024 . 💬 BNM Governor Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour: "Malaysia’s growth will continue to be supported by robust investments, resilient household spending, and export growth despite global challenges." 📈 Sector Performance in Q4 2024 Services: Grew 5.5% y-o-y , leading the economy. Manufacturing: Increased 4.4% y-o-y . Construction: Surged 20.7% y-o-y , reflecting strong infrastructure activity. Mining: Declined 0.9% y-o-y . Agriculture: Contracted 0.5% y-o-y . 💰 Current Account & Trade 🔹 Curre...