Kuala lumpur: Bursa Malaysia is anticipated to continue its upward momentum and potentially retest the 1,640 resistance level in the upcoming week, having previously reached a peak of 1,642.33 points on December 31, 2024.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, IPPFA Sdn Bhd's director of investment strategy and country economist, Mohd Sedek Jantan, indicated that a clear breakout is feasible this month, supported by improving global sentiment and a robust domestic data environment. He noted that December traditionally favors equities, with institutional portfolio rebalancing providing further impetus.
However, Mohd Sedek emphasized that next week's market trajectory will largely depend on two significant external developments. He pointed out that China's November economic data, expected on Monday, will influence regional markets. The forecast suggests modest firming in industrial production and retail sales by approximately 5.1% and 2.9% year-on-year, respectively, while fixed asset investment may see a deepening contraction to minus 2.8% year-to-date.
Mohd Sedek also highlighted the importance of the US Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP) release on Tuesday, covering October and November 2025 employment data. Preliminary indicators suggest a resilient but gradually cooling labor market, with private-sector hiring expected to moderate. A moderate positive reading would align with the Federal Reserve's current stance, whereas a sharper slowdown could impact global risk sentiment.
He further added that these data releases will be pivotal in shaping investor expectations for the coming week and will determine whether the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI's (FBM KLCI) latest rebound can sustain its momentum.
On a week-to-week basis, the FBM KLCI climbed 21.29 points to 1,637.81 from last week's 1,616.52. The FBM Emas Index increased by 111.80 points to 12,074.03, the FBMT 100 Index gained 119.48 points to 11,863.30, the FBM Emas Shariah Index rose 112.15 points to 11,909.20, and the FBM 70 Index added 14.06 points to 16,736.67. Conversely, the FBM ACE Index fell by 57.95 points to 4,758.19.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index surged 210.37 points to 19,221.70, while the Plantation Index and Energy Index increased by 55.02 points to 8,151.27 and 9.25 points to 767.79, respectively. The Industrial Products and Services Index edged up by 3.39 points to 169.17.
Weekly turnover decreased to 15.95 billion units valued at RM11.27 billion from 18.86 billion units worth RM13.40 billion the previous week. The Main Market volume rose to 7.07 billion units worth RM9.76 billion, compared to 7.01 billion units worth RM11.41 billion earlier. Warrants turnover declined to 7.06 billion units valued at RM904.42 million against 10.05 billion units valued at RM1.37 billion last week. Meanwhile, the ACE Market volume increased to 1.81 billion units valued at RM590.79 million from 1.78 billion units valued at RM602.06 million previously.