Kuala lumpur: The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) futures contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives is expected to consolidate in the coming week, reflecting the cautious sentiment prevailing in the underlying cash market.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd's vice-president of equity research, Thong Pak Leng, highlighted that the absence of sustained foreign inflows has continued to limit the upside momentum, causing the benchmark stock index to remain range-bound. Thong noted that volatility is likely to increase due to ongoing geopolitical tensions and global economic uncertainty. The movement of oil prices and developments in West Asia are also expected to influence market sentiment. He indicated that the FBM KLCI is anticipated to consolidate within the range of 1,690 to 1,730 points next week.

On a Thursday-to-Friday basis, the March 2026 contract saw a decline of 10.5 points to settle at 1,709.0, while the April 2026 contract dropped by 10 points to 1,711.0. The June 2026 contract fell by 13.5 points to 1,707.0, and the September 2026 contract decreased by 8.5 points to 1,691.5. The turnover for the week increased significantly to 168,213 lots from 30,374 lots the previous week, with open interest widening to 102,348 contracts from the prior 42,127 contracts. On a Thursday-to-Friday basis, the FBM KLCI eased by 8.06 points to close at 1,712.65, compared to 1,720.71 a week earlier.