BELOW are excerpts of viewpoints from two selected research houses on what investors can expect in the day ahead:
Berjaya Research
The FBM KLCI rebounded on Tuesday, bucking the negative regional markets as the key index recorded 0.3% quarter-on-quarter gains in 1Q 2026.
Trading activity retreated with 3.65 billion shares exchanging hands from 3.98 billion shares in the prior session.
Market breadth turned positive with 547 advancers nudging 510 decliners, underscoring subtle signs of bargain hunting activities.
Looking ahead, the FBM KLCI could be uplifted by potential bargain hunting after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is open to ending regional hostilities under specific guarantees.
Investors are likely to remain selective, keeping a close watch on upcoming macro-economic indicators such as Malaysia’s manufacturing PMI for signs of domestic economic resilience alongside the US manufacturing PMI and retail sales data to gauge the strength of external demand and the broader global economic outlook.
Technically, the FBM KLCI has formed a hammer candlestick to drift slightly further from the 1,700 psychological level.
The next supports remain pegged at 1,675 points and 1,665 points respectively. Meanwhile, the immediate resistances are situated at the 1,700 psychological level, followed by 1,709 points.
Malacca Securities Research
We expect the elevated crude oil prices and on-going US-Iran tensions to contribute to energy supply disruptions, translating to favourable ASPs (average selling prices) for energy and chemical players.
However, this could provide near-term headwinds for glove manufacturers as nitrile glove materials are closely tied to crude oil inventory.
For a more conservative play, we believe LAC Med Bhd stands as the best candidate given its sweet spot to leverage government aims to improve medical tourism through 2030 while its recurring income segment should de-risk earnings volatility in the medium term.
The FBM KLCI closed on a weaker footing with technical indicators suggesting weaker signals at the current juncture as the MACD histogram has turned negative while the RSI closed below 50.
Resistance is seen around 1,725-1,730 with support at 1,675-1,680. – April 1, 2026
