BELOW are excerpts of viewpoints from two selected research houses on what investors can expect in the day ahead:
Berjaya Research
The FBM KLCI closed marginally lower following a choppy trading session, weighed down by weakness in selected telco and utility heavyweights.
Trading activity moderated with market volume easing to 3.92 billion shares from 4.28 billion shares in the previous session.
Market breadth remained negative with 637 decliners outnumbering 578 advancers while the FBM Small Cap Index slipped for a fourth consecutive session.
Going forward, the near-term outlook for the FBM KLCI remains cautious with the prevailing bias tilted to the downside amid subdued trading activity and weak market breadth alongside the unabated foreign fund outflow.
The collapse of trade negotiations between US and Canada could also potentially sap sentiment.
As it is, the index may continue to trade range-bound with a cautious bias in the near term with sentiment likely to hinge on developments in domestic corporate earnings, economic data and external market cues.
Technically, the key index has formed a doji candlestick to remain above the EMA10 level. The immediate resistances are envisaged at 1,742 points, followed by 1,750 points. Meanwhile, near-term supports are pegged at 1,711 points and 1,700 points respectively.
Malacca Securities Research
With the local bourse entering a shortened trading week alongside the collapse of US-Canada trade talks, we expect the FBM KLCI to trade on a mixed note.
Stock-wise, Southern Cable Group Bhd is pending a further breakout while Foodie Media Bhd is also seeing an improvement in its share price performance.
The former secured a RM403.6 mil supplementary contract extension from Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB), thus bringing its total order book to RM1.3 bil while the latter saw its 9M FY8/2026 results already surpass its FY8/2025 full-year results.
Lastly, we continue to favour EI Power Bhd, supported by (i) accelerated revenue conversion from mission-critical DC (data centre) power delivery; (ii) regional expansion into Thailand; and (iii) a RM219.8 mil order book providing earnings visibility through 2027.
The FBM KLCI traded marginally lower with underlying indicators reflecting mixed signals at the current juncture as the MACD histogram is hovering below the zero level while the RSI is holding above 50.
Overhead resistance is located around 1,751-1,756 while support is anchored at 1,716-1,721. – Aug 24, 2026
