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.
Japan's Nikkei share average surged over 2% in early trading on Friday, buoyed by overnight gains on Wall Street and a weaker yen, while investors await the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) policy decision later in the day. As of 0156 GMT, the Nikkei was up 2.05% at 37,915.87 , with tech stocks leading the charge. Tokyo Electron , a major player in chip-making equipment, soared 5.8% , mirroring the chip sector rally in the US. A weaker yen also boosted Japanese equities, benefiting heavyweight exporters like Toyota Motor , which rose 1.5% , and Honda , which jumped 2.8% . The Topix index gained 1.49% . The rally followed US stock indexes reaching record highs on Thursday after the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut, signaling confidence in the US economy and inflation control. While the BOJ is expected to maintain steady monetary policy, investors are closely watching for any signals regarding potential rate hikes. The yen was trading at 142.38 per dollar , easing from i...