Market Pulse - On Higher Ground

The FBM KLCI rallied amidst the mixed regional markets after taking cues from the (i) less aggressive rate hikes tone from the US Federal Reserve and (ii) Bank Negara Malaysia kept the OPR unchanged at 1.75%. Also, we believe the sharp gains noticed in the commodity-related sectors may persist over the near term as the steep rise in crude oil and crude palm oil prices were deemed advantageous to Malaysia and should translate to earnings in the upcoming quarters.