BELOW are excerpts of viewpoints from two selected research houses on what investors can expect in the day ahead:
Berjaya Research
The FBM KLCI extended its gains on Wednesday to close at its highest level since late February 2026, taking cue from the positive developments on Wall Street overnight.
Trading activity improved to 3.33 billion shares against 2.81 billion shares in the previous session, driven by the positive market sentiment.
Market breadth also stayed positive with 657 advancers overtaking 480 decliners, lifted by bargain hunting activities among the lower liners.
Going forward, the FBM KLCI could turn cautious after the recent strong strides, taking cue from the volatility on Wall Street overnight.
As concerns over geopolitical developments in the Middle East linger, the risk of stagflation may resurface, potentially dampening global risk appetite and prompting investors to adopt a more defensive stance.
With the US Federal Reserve holding rates steady and delivered a hawkish stance on the direction of future interest rates, attention will tune towards the ECB (European Central Bank) interest rate decision later today.
Technically, the FBM KLCI has gapped up and formed another bullish candlestick to breakout above the 1,720 resistance level.
Should the positive momentum sustain, the key index could charge towards the next resistances located at 1,733 points and 1,737 points respectively. Meanwhile, key support levels are now moved to the 1,700 psychological level and 1,685 points.
Malacca Securities Research
We expect the overnight negative trading sentiment on Wall Street to spill over to the local front.
However, the strong debut of Sunway Healthcare Holdings Bhd yesterday may provide upside to the parent company while the premium valuation may act as a potential re-rating catalyst for other healthcare stocks such as IHH Healthcare Bhd, KPJ Healthcare Bhd, and PMCK Bhd.
Meanwhile, solar stock prices have begun to show bottoming signals as investors engage in value-picking, supported by strong order books and favourable government initiatives.
Lastly, we favour the breakout in Ranhill Utilities Bhd as the group is defensive and enjoys stronger margins following the water tariff hike.
The FBM KLCI rebounded with technical indicators suggest improvement at the current juncture as the MACD histogram has expanded into the positive region while the RSI is above 50.
Resistance is seen around 1,744-1,749 with support at 1,709-1,714. – March 19, 2026
