BELOW are excerpts of viewpoints from two selected research houses on what investors can expect in the day ahead:
Berjaya Research
Despite the country announcing a solid 3Q 2025 GDP (gross domestic product) growth of 5.2% year-on-year (yoy), the FBM KLCI turned downbeat last Friday, weighed down by the overnight weakness on Wall Street.
Nevertheless, the benchmark index still recorded a modest +0.4% week-on-week (wow) gain, supported by a strong start earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, the broader market also turned dour with 12 out of 13 major sub-sectors closing in the red. Reflecting the cautious sentiment, overall trading participation eased with total traded volume slipping to 3.64 billion shares from 3.95 billion shares in the previous session.
For the day ahead, market sentiment is expected to remain guarded as investors assess external cues amid the renewed global equity market volatility.
The key index is likely to trade on a downward bias tone amid the prevailing uncertainties over the impact of the US government’s extended shutdown.
As we head into the peak of the quarterly results reporting period, attention is likely to shift toward the upcoming barrage of corporate earnings releases that will provide fresh insight into earnings momentum.
Overall, traders may stay selective with rotational interest likely to centre around sectors anticipated to post stronger earnings revisions.
On a technical viewpoint, the FBM KLCI has formed a gap-down to reverse most of last week’s gains.
Should the immediate support at 1,622 points fail to hold, the 1,615 points will serve as the next support. Meanwhile, the immediate resistance levels are located at 1,638 and 1,650 points respectively.
Malacca Securities Research
Tracking Wall Street’s mixed performance, we expect the FBM KLCI to kickstart the week on a softer note with more clarity to be seen only after Nvidia’s earnings and the FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) meeting minutes.
Nevertheless, we have noticed buying interest starting to accumulate in the Finance sector, thanks to the strengthening of the ringgit which could potentially lift the key index.
Investors could accumulate Malayan Banking Bhd due to its position as Malaysia’s largest bank with an attractive dividend of more than 6%.
Lastly, we also like Mi Technovation Bhd following its strong 3Q FY2025 earnings rebound with growing exposure to high-growth semiconductor segments such as advanced packaging, HPC (high-performance computing) and automotive power modules.
The FBM KLCI index closed in negative territory but technical indicators are showing a positive signal; the MACD histogram is in the positive territory while the RSI is above 50.
Resistance is anticipated around 1,640-1,645 while support is located at 1,605-1,610. – Nov 17, 2025
