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Market Highlights
Local Market Strategy
Wed, 07 Oct 2026 07:17 am
Market Strategy - Budget 2027 Preview: Supportive, Not Transformational

• Budget 2027 should be mildly expansionary, but not a broad-based fiscal stimulus. The focus is likely to remain on targeted household support, fiscal discipline and productivity-enhancing investment.
• Fiscal consolidation remains intact, with our 2027 fiscal deficit forecast at 3.3% of GDP, keeping the Government on track towards its medium-term 3.0% target by 2028.
• Gross development expenditure is expected to rise modestly to RM82.4bn. For construction, the key opportunity is execution of the existing infrastructure pipeline rather than a fresh mega-project cycle.
• AI, semiconductors and data-centre infrastructure remain the strongest structural-growth themes. Budget 2027 should reinforce an investment cycle that is already underway rather than initiate it.
• Energy transition is increasingly linked to the data-centre boom. Grid investment, storage, LSS6 and CRESS should remain key policy and earnings catalysts.
• Household support through STR/SARA and housing measures should cushion domestic demand, but minimum-wage increases, subsidy rationalisation and selected tax measures could offset part of the benefit.
• Maintain our end-2026 FBM KLCI target at 1,770. We favour a barbell strategy, combining earnings-resilient companies with structural-growth and selective small-cap alpha opportunities.

Economic Update
Tue, 06 Oct 2026 07:04 am
Economic outlook - Penang tech visit: Stronger conviction on Malaysia’s tech outlook        

• We visited five companies across Penang covering engineering & support services, equipment distribution & manufacturing, raw & semi-finished materials, Automated Test Equipment and precision machining & components.
• The current AI upcycle appears structural, while we noted evidence of trade diversion and talent shortages, and identified constraints to Malaysia moving up the value chain.
• Malaysia’s concentration in lower-value segments of the semiconductor value chain could limit its ability to fully capture the broader tech upcycle dividend.
• The National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS) and initiatives such as the Malaysia Advanced Packaging Consortium (MAPC) could help address these constraints.

Market Outlook
Mon, 28 Sep 2026 06:42 am
Market Outlook - Trump-Xi: De-escalation, Not a Reset

• Trump-Xi summit eases near-term trade tensions, with the US-China trade truce extended to 10 January 2027, but major structural disputes remain unresolved.
• Malaysia stands to benefit from greater trade visibility, given strong exposure to both China and the US, with E&E exports remaining a key growth driver.
• Budget 2027 on 9 October could trigger a Pre-Budget Rally.
• Maintain our Barbell Strategy, favouring AI and semiconductors, data centre infrastructure, energy transition, critical minerals and consumer digitalisation, alongside defensive exposure to Utilities and Plantation.
• Maintain our year-end KLCI target of 1,770.

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