Kuala Lumpur: Bursa Malaysia’s main index is expected to trade within a range of 1,570-1,600 next week, due to a lack of fresh catalysts, an analyst said. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd’s vice president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said the online broker expects the market to maintain a cautious stance as funds continue to flow from emerging markets into Hong Kong and China’s markets.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Thong expressed optimism that foreign funds will return to the region soon, buoyed by stronger economic growth relative to the western bloc. He advised investors to concentrate on large-cap sectors like banks, plantations, and telecommunications. Thong also suggested considering domestic investments such as construction and retail real estate investment trusts for a defensive investment strategy.
Thong highlighted that if the benchmark index reclaims and sustains a position above 1,590 for an extended period with strong volume, a move toward the next resistance level at 1,620 is likely. Meanwhile,
Hong Leong Investment Bank (HLIB) remarked that the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) is likely to remain in a consolidation phase as long as it continues to close below the key 1,590 level.
HLIB noted that investors will evaluate market developments, including local corporate earnings announcements next week, global trade and geopolitical tensions, the US Federal Reserve’s policy outlook, and potential stimulus policies from China. On Friday, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) released Malaysia’s inflation rate, which remained at 1.7 percent in January 2025, with the index points standing at 133.6 compared to 131.4 in the same month last year.
For the trading week just ended, the FBM KLCI mostly declined, weighed by concerns over the US tariff policy set to take effect on April 2, raising fears about its impact on the global economy, inflation, supply chains, and investment plans. On a Friday-to-Friday basis, the key index inched down 0.57 of-a-point to 1,591.03 compared with 1,591.60 a week ea
rlier.
The FBM Emas Index slid 114.94 points to 11,991.67, the FBMT 100 Index shed 88.72 points to 11,725.23, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index tumbled 130.60 points to 11,716.91. The FBM ACE Index plunged 213.80 points to 4,920.98 and the FBM 70 Index fell 466.37 points to 17,404.86.
By sector, the Financial Services Index dropped 24.60 points to 19,318.04, but the Plantation Index went up 3.40 points to 7,458.32. The Industrial Products and Services Index added 1.06 points to 165.05, the Energy Index slid 12.79 points to 785.76, the Healthcare Index plummeted 175.75 points to 2,037.90, and the Technology Index was 2.38 points lower at 56.18.
Turnover surged to 16.17 billion units valued at RM12.32 billion from 11.99 billion units valued at RM9.14 billion in the preceding week. The Main Market volume swelled to 7.89 billion units worth RM10.90 billion against 5.95 billion units worth RM7.98 billion previously. Warrants turnover expanded to 5.31 billion units valued at RM525.79 million versus 3.95 billion uni
ts valued at RM450.56 million last week. The ACE Market volume increased to 2.95 billion units worth RM964.11 million from 2.08 billion units worth RM704.93 million in the previous week.