Kuala lumpur: The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) futures contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives is projected to trade within a specific range in the upcoming week. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng noted that the benchmark index has been facing challenges in surpassing the 1,540 level, which acts as both a psychological and technical resistance point, having previously limited gains in late June and early July.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Thong highlighted that recent bargain hunting indicates a possible attempt to reverse the mid-July downtrend. However, he emphasized the need for stronger follow-through buying and volume to confirm this trend reversal. Consequently, it is expected that the benchmark index will remain range-bound between 1,510 and 1,540 in the coming week.

Throughout the past week, the spot month August 2025 contract saw a slight increase of 0.5 of a point, closing at 1,529. Meanwhile, the September 2025 contract edged down by half of a point to 1,509.0, and the December 2025 contract declined by 2.5 points to 1,509.0. The March 2026 note closed at 1,497.5.

The weekly turnover showed an improvement, rising to 160,658 lots from the previous week's 28,103 lots. However, open interest experienced a decrease, falling to 41,270 contracts from 48,755 contracts in the prior week.

By the end of the week, the FBM KLCI eased slightly, trimming 0.41 of a point to settle at 1,533.35 on Friday, compared to 1,533.76 a week earlier.