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.
The long-held belief that a weaker yen benefits Japanese stocks is unraveling as the correlation between the two diminishes due to diverging global monetary policies. Key Developments Topix Stagnation: Despite the yen’s volatility, the Topix Index has remained range-bound since its summer crash. The correlation coefficient between the yen and Topix is near zero, indicating negligible linkage. BOJ’s Policy Shift: The Bank of Japan (BOJ) shifted focus in May to curb inflation driven by a weak yen, rather than stimulating a virtuous cycle of wages and prices. Foreign investors have been net sellers of Japanese stocks since this shift. Impact of BOJ Hawkishness: A weaker yen now signals potential BOJ rate hikes, which depress stock valuations. The BOJ’s hawkish stance contrasts with expectations of rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve, creating further headwinds for Japanese equities. Changing Dynamics of the Japanese Economy Export Dependency Declines: Japan’s economy, long perceived as ...