Kuala lumpur: The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) futures contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives is likely to trade higher next week, according to an analyst.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng indicated that investors' focus will shift to a series of key economic releases, including the Eurozone's July consumer price index (CPI), the United States (US) jobless claims, the release of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes, and the People's Bank of China's loan prime rate decision.

He mentioned that domestically, the FBM KLCI experienced a pullback after hitting an intraday high of 1,595.31 on Thursday. Despite this pullback, the medium-term bullish outlook remains intact following a breakout above the key 1,565 resistance earlier this week. Thong noted that both exponential moving averages (EMAs) are trending higher, indicating improving market breadth and sustained buying interest.

Thong further elaborated that a sustained move above 1,580 could pave the way toward 1,600, while support at 1,565 and 1,550 will be crucial in maintaining the current bullish trend. He expects the benchmark index to trade within the 1,565-1,580 range next week.

On a weekly basis, the spot-month August 2025 and September 2025 increased by 21.0 points to 1,577.0 and 1,556.0, respectively. December 2025 rose 20.5 points to 1,555.5, and March 2026 climbed 19.5 points to 1,540.0. Turnover for the week advanced to 39,969 lots from 27,952 lots a week ago, while open interest improved to 44,964 contracts from 42,137 contracts previously.

The FBM KLCI ended the week higher, rising 19.36 points to 1,576.34 on Friday from 1,556.98 a week earlier.