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.
Japanese stocks surged on Monday as the yen dropped to a three-month low after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's coalition lost its parliamentary majority in Sunday’s election. The outcome has raised uncertainty over Japan's future economic policies and potential political instability. Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner, Komeito, secured only 215 seats in the lower house, falling short of the 233 needed for a majority. The LDP previously held 247 seats, with Komeito holding 32. The result has prompted concerns about possible power-sharing agreements and fractious politics ahead. Despite the political uncertainty, the Nikkei share average rose 1.45% to 38,463.50 , buoyed by a weaker yen, which benefits Japan's export-heavy economy. Earlier in the session, the index had climbed nearly 2% after opening 0.4% lower. The yen fell as much as 153.885 per dollar , its lowest since July 31, before stabilizing around 153.60 per dollar by 0230 GMT. ...