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.
Slowing inflation in Singapore has created some room for the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to ease monetary policy in January, but analysts believe the central bank may delay any action until later in 2025 to better assess the impact of US President-elect Donald Trump's policies . Key Highlights Inflation Outlook November core inflation is expected to hold steady at 2.1% , a three-year low , according to analysts in a Reuters poll. MAS has forecast core inflation at around 2% for Q4 2024 , with DBS Bank predicting it to average 1.8% in 2025 . Monetary Policy Approach Singapore uses the Singapore dollar nominal effective exchange rate (S$NEER) to manage policy, adjusting the slope, midpoint, or width of the currency band. While some analysts expect an easing at the January review, a MAS survey showed the number of economists anticipating a reduction in the S$NEER slope dropped from 50% to one-third . Analyst ...