Kuala lumpur: The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) futures contract is anticipated to remain range-bound next week, showing a slight upward tendency as bargain-hunting activities continue to surface.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd's vice-president of equity research, Thong Pak Leng, stated that market focus is likely to be on the concluding phase of the local first quarter of 2026 earnings season. Strong earnings expectations from defensive sectors such as banking, plantation, and infrastructure may provide support to the market. Thong added, 'Overall, we anticipate the index to trade within the 1,700-1,730 range.'

For the recently concluded week, the FBM KLCI futures contracts mostly traded lower in alignment with the cash market. From Friday to Friday, the May 2026 contract decreased by 23.5 points to 1,719.0, the June 2026 contract dropped 25.0 points to 1,716.5, the September 2026 contract declined 22.5 points to 1,697.50, and the December 2026 contract fell 26.0 points to 1,698.50.

Weekly turnover increased to 44,006 lots from 30,788 lots the previous week, while open interest rose to 43,086 contracts from 36,232 contracts at the close of the preceding week. The FBM KLCI ended this week 27.55 points lower at 1,712.67 compared to 1,740.22 a week earlier.

Bursa Malaysia is scheduled to be closed on May 27 in observance of the Aidiladha public holiday and will resume operations on May 28. It will also be closed on June 1 and 2 for the King's Birthday and Wesak Day holidays, resuming operations on June 3.