Kuala lumpur: The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) futures contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives is projected to trade in a cautious and range-bound manner as investors exercise caution in light of ongoing geopolitical uncertainties.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd's vice-president of equity research, Thong Pak Leng, noted that market direction will likely remain influenced by developments surrounding the United States-Iran conflict, fluctuations in crude oil prices, and external market sentiment. He stated that the benchmark index is expected to hover within the 1,720-1,760 range next week, with both upside and downside likely to remain limited unless there is more clarity on the geopolitical front.

Throughout the past week, the FBM KLCI futures contracts largely traded higher in alignment with the cash market. On a Thursday-to-Friday basis, the May 2026 contract increased by 30.5 points to 1,749.5, the June 2026 contract rose by 29.5 points to 1,749.0, the September 2026 contract went up 11 points to 1,729.5, and the December 2026 contract advanced 31 points to 1,732.0.

Weekly turnover saw a decline to 39,516 lots from 190,023 lots the previous week, while open interest reduced to 38,616 contracts from 43,924 contracts at the preceding week's close. The FBM KLCI concluded this week 26.04 points higher at 1,748.06 compared to 1,722.02 a week earlier.