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.
Markets entered choppy waters this week as inflation reared its head again , Trump’s Fed saga unnerved Wall Street, and tech stocks made bold moves across global exchanges. Inflation Returns — And It’s Not Just Temporary June’s CPI climbed to 2.7% , up from 2.4% in May. Although largely within expectations, tariff-driven price increases —especially in furniture and appliances—have reignited inflation fears. As Fed officials including John Williams and Raphael Bostic cautioned, inflation might continue rising into 2026. Williams estimated tariffs alone could push inflation up 1% in the next few quarters . Investor Insight : Watch sectors tied to discretionary consumer goods and domestic manufacturers—higher input costs may compress margins in Q3–Q4 earnings. Trump vs Powell: Crisis Averted… For Now Markets briefly panicked over rumors that President Trump would fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell —only for Trump to wa...