Kuala lumpur: Bursa Malaysia is anticipated to trade with an upside bias next week within the narrow range of 1,740-1,750 points. IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan indicated that the local bourse would be supported by resilient domestic fundamentals. However, he noted that improving regional growth equities might result in sectoral and country rotation away from the FBM KLCI, due to its relatively defensive composition and limited exposure to high-growth sectors. Key factors influencing the market include oil prices, developments in the Iran-US conflict, and China's July activity data.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd head of research Kenny Yee observed that markets had been given a reprieve from the cooling US inflation data over the last few days. However, he cautioned that high forthcoming retail sales might lead to some profit-taking, particularly regarding earnings from technology and artificial intelligence-related stocks.
On Friday, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) reported a 6.0 per cent expansion in Malaysia's economy for the second quarter of 2026, surpassing the Department of Statistics Malaysia's (DOSM) advance estimate of 5.8 per cent. The central bank attributed this growth to continued domestic demand and robust exports. BNM governor Datuk Seri Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour affirmed that the Malaysian economy remains on a firm footing, projecting growth in 2026 to remain within the forecast range of 4.0-5.0 per cent, with indications that overall growth could be around 5.0 per cent.
On a Friday-to-Friday basis, the FBM KLCI slid 8.36 points to 1,727.39 from 1,735.75 a week earlier. On the index board, the FBM Emas Index declined 18.81 points to 12,815.44, and the FBM Top 100 Index lost 33.94 points to 12,626.26. Conversely, the FBM Mid 70 Index gained 66.67 points to 18,293.19, and the FBM ACE Index soared 214.83 points to 5,294.78.
By sector, the Financial Services Index erased 80.50 points to 20,336.03, and the Plantation Index slipped 213.68 points to 9,327.40. The Energy Index added 21.07 points to 779.46, while the Industrial Products and Services Index inched down 0.77 of a point to 187.23.
The weekly turnover expanded to 17.66 billion units worth RM14.42 billion from 16.22 billion units worth RM15.34 billion a week earlier. The Main Market volume widened to 8.91 billion units valued at RM12.59 billion against 8.26 billion units valued at RM12.71 billion previously. Warrant turnover eased to 5.30 billion units worth RM719.94 million versus 5.33 billion units worth RM710.62 million last week. The ACE Market volume advanced to 3.42 billion units valued at RM1.11 billion compared with 2.61 billion units valued at RM913.58 million in the previous week.